Coast guard leaders from 23 countries and regions have concluded wide-ranging talks in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, this week, aiming to boost joint action against illegal activities and tackle rising maritime security and environmental challenges.
Senior officials at the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM), hosted by the China Coast Guard, held in-depth exchanges on issues spanning maritime crime, search and rescue, information sharing, and marine environmental protection.
Wang Kaiqiang, deputy director of the China Coast Guard, said the event brought together major partners across the region.
"The meeting brings together UNODC and the Information Sharing Center of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, or ReCAAP ISC. Under the theme of the Global Security Initiative, discussions focus on maritime crime, search and rescue, environmental protection, information sharing, joint exercises and capacity building," Wang said.
Much of the dialogue centered on balancing security with environmental priorities, including combating illegal acts at sea, enhancing rescue operations, and strengthening capacity building.
China's proposal to establish an Asian marine carbon sink law enforcement database stood out, aiming to support the protection of marine carbon sinks under global climate commitments such as the Paris Agreement.
"In the environmental protection working group, China proposed a new approach to 'marine carbon-sink law enforcement,' shifting the focus from punishment toward ecological restoration," said Liu Dejun, China Coast Guard spokesman, adding that the approach called for an Asia-Pacific database on marine carbon-sink enforcement to strengthen marine ecosystem protection and support global climate action.
Meeting facilitators emphasized practical cooperation and real-world results for responding to sea-based risks.
"China shared its experience in combating maritime crime, environmental protection and search and rescue, while proposing an expert advisory committee," said Zhang Jianming, director of the China Coast Guard.
The initiatives aim to deepen cooperation and contribute Chinese approaches to regional maritime governance, said Zhang.
International guests highlighted the value of a common regional approach.
"We are closing with a lot of countries in Asia, like China, Indonesia, Malaysia. And we all agree that we have to face many main threats, not only ecological threats but also drug trafficking, IUU [Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated] fishing. And for all the situations, we have to share a common vision; that's why we would like to share information more and more, and thanks to the HACGAM, which is a good opportunity to find a good channel to share this information," said Alban Merlin-Aubert, French maritime security official.
HACGAM members step up action against maritime crime, environmental risks
