Naval officials gather in Qingdao for Western Pacific Naval Symposium

International navy officers and attachés in east China's Qingdao City for the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) stressed the importance of keeping the world's oceans secure so that maritime resources can benefit all.

The four-day biennial meeting opened in the port city in Shandong Province on Sunday with more than 180 navy representatives from 29 countries gathering to set the agenda for the future of Pacific security, as well as discuss and vote on issues such as unmanned maritime operations and updating the Disaster Response Guide.

Attendees said international cooperation is key to upholding peace and security at sea.

"We have to work together to maintain this maritime area which can be used by all. So we all are stakeholders and we should work together. And this forum, I think, will provide an impetus to safe, prosperous and stable maritime area and oceans for the future, so our future generations can benefit from this immense, potential and gift from god which has been given to mankind," said Chief of Pakistan's Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf.

"I'm interested in stability in this part of the world. The oceans are important to everybody. Our security, our stability and our prosperity rely on the oceans around the world. So it's always in the UK's interest that we promote resilience to the world's oceans, which is why navies are really important," said Air Commodore Mike Blackburn, defense attaché at UK Embassy to China.

At this year's meeting, foreign navy leaders are invited to discuss the China-proposed Global Security Initiative as well as issues pertaining to maritime peace and global maritime governance.

"[The forum] is just to renew and continue to build relationships and trust amongst navy leaders and to ensure that we understand each other in the way that we do things," said Deputy Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commodore Humphrey Tawake.

"We hope that every country should share and understand, and try to set cooperation, more cooperation in the future," said Captain Parnuwat Samakgarn, naval attaché at the Thai Embassy to China.

As a founding member of the WPNS, China first hosted the 14th WPNS biennial meeting in Qingdao in 2014. At the meeting, member states endorsed the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a navy-to-navy template designed to reduce misunderstandings and avoid maritime accidents.

Currently, the WPNS has 23 member states and seven observing states.

Naval officials gather in Qingdao for Western Pacific Naval Symposium

Naval officials gather in Qingdao for Western Pacific Naval Symposium

A French student from the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University recently called for more educational exchanges between the two countries.

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Bouaoud Elies shared his experience living and studying in China.

After graduating from the business school at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Elies decided to stay in the country. He said he continues to study Chinese to improve his competitiveness and explore the huge trade opportunities between the two countries.

"I mean I love it here. I don't want to go back to France. I would like to become the bridge between France and China. So, if I can do this, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, the Silk Road, now the relations between France and China are very good. So, I think a lot of things will happen," he said.

Elies also said he hopes that more French students could visit China and develop a better understanding of the country.

France was the first major western country to establish full diplomatic ties with China, and the history of educational exchanges can be traced back more than a century and a half when China sent its students to France to study maritime affairs.

Since then, exchanges have deepened considerably.

"In China, we have established 14 French training centers. In France, we have established 19 Confucius Institutes. These institutions serve as bridges for mutual understanding and trust between the youth and people of the two countries, enhancing language and cultural connections," said Yang Dan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges under the Ministry of Education.

French student calls for more educational exchanges with China