2018 Qingdao Marine Forum

September 2018 China

President and founder of the Tomorrow Foundation was invited in September to a high-level dialogue at the Qingdao Forum of the East Asian Seas Cooperation Platform along with other representatives from non-governmental organizations, financial institutions such as Asian Development Bank and industry players.

Qingdao is the leading city of marine resources development and marine products innovation in China. One of the main objectives of this Forum launched in 2016 is to encourage all countries to enhance practical cooperation in marine-related fields from disaster prevention to ecology, and security to cultural and economic factors. Our founder speech highlighted the natural and unwavering link between Asia and Africa through ocean and the fact that synergies and beneficial exchanges which could be created between Asia and coastal African countries in fishery sector, marine pharmaceuticals and marine scientific research represent an extraordinary source of economic and sanitary development. For example coastal African countries could create marine protected areas with a rich biodiversity and Asian countries could help building advanced oceanographic research centres to study plants and species for a mutual beneficial outcome. Another thought would be also to solve Asian countries lack of fishery products and African countries shortage of medicine with an innovative exchange model.

All these exchanges as well as the advanced infrastructures of the city itself were a great source of inspiration for our founder and the Foundation will study new possibilities of assistance in the marine and scientific field.