中美承诺在海洋保护方面合作

Putting aside differences on maritime security, China and the United States say they are stepping up cooperation on ocean preservation, pledging to jointly combat illegal fishing and pollution.

The special session on ocean protection was co-chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry and China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

Kerry says the new initiative again shows the two countries can work together to face the world's challenges.

"Once again, we're breaking new grounds with respect to China and the United States' ability to find an area where we can cooperate which has major significance for not just our two nations but for people everywhere."

Kerry has highlighted the threats to the world's marine life, pointing out that a third of the world's fisheries are overfished and ocean pollution from plastic debris is reaching alarming levels.

There are 500 dead zones in the world's oceans -- covering a combined area the size of the UK -- where nothing lives and nothing grows.

He says climate change is leading to the gradual acidification of the seas, warning about the dangers of "an eco-system collapse".

Kerry is urging the US and China to cooperate to tackle the tough challenges in ocean protection and sustainable development.

"China and the United States, the two largest economies in the world, two of the top fishing nations in the world, two of the global leaders in ocean science, so we have a very real opportunity here to be able to come together in this special session to deal with conserving and protecting the oceans."

For his part, State Councilor Yang Jiechi points out that as one of the world's ocean powers, China is moving to prioritize the ocean in its national development strategy.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to international maritime cooperation. We're dedicated to working with countries around the world on maintaining maritime security and developing the marine economy. Our goal is to promote and develop a green ocean that is filled with harmony and cooperation."

He says China and the US have broad common interests in global maritime governance and that they could jointly build a "peaceful and tranquil" marine environment.

To further boost their maritime cooperation, Yang Jiechi has proposed the two countries increase contact between maritime enforcement agencies, and elevate the level of cooperation in cracking down on illegal drift net fishing on the high seas.

Conducting maritime humanitarian search and rescue and managing transportation of hazardous materials are also included in the proposals.

Yang Jiechi expresses hope that China and the U.S. will build on the progress achieved to turn ocean protection into a new area of growing bilateral cooperation.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.