On 20 December, 2021 ASEAN-China "Learning about Ocean” Student Film Competition (2021 SFC) was held at Tianjin University. Academician Pan Delu, Director of Academic Committee of ASEAN-China Smart Ocean Centre, Mr. Yaya Sutarya, Education Counselor of Indonesia Embassy in China, Mr. Chek Lim Bock, President of Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges of China in Malaysia, Dr. Vuth Sophakna, General Director of International Chinese Education and Teachers Institute at Royal Academy of Cambodia, Ms. Sudaporn Imcharoen, Director of International Resources Utilization and Promotion Group, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand delivered their speeches online.
The award ceremony was hosted by Ms. Zhang Zhen, Director of Office of International Cooperation of Tianjin University. Prof. Tan Xin, Leadership of Tianjin University, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Nearly 200 representatives from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and the Philippines attended the ceremony through online and offline methods. Ms. He Wei, Officer of Education, Culture and Tourism Department of the ASEAN-China Centre, Mr. Huang Keli, Curator of National Maritime Museum of China, Mr. Luo Xuye, Professor of ASEAN-China Smart Ocean Centre, Mr. Qu Tanzhou, director of Science Popularization Committee of the Chinese Society of Oceanography, Prof. Xue Xiongzhi, Dean of Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans (Xiamen Univ), Mr. Tan Gongke, Head of Equipment and Technology R&D Department of National Laboratory for Marine Science & Technology (Qingdao) attended the ceremony.
Prof. Tan Xin said that Tianjin University and ASEAN have a solid foundation of cooperation in the field of higher education. Since its establishment in 2017, ASEAN-China Smart Ocean Centre (ACSOC) has been actively responding to the "One Belt, One Road" initiative and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" strategic concept proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, steadily promoting pragmatic cooperation with ASEAN universities, achieved a lot in expanding the two-way opening of education in marine-related disciplines, improving the supply of international public products in education, and building a well-known brand for humanistic exchanges between China and ASEAN.
Academician Pan Delu, Director of Academic Committee of ASEAN-China Smart Ocean Centre, said that ASEAN-China "Learning about Ocean" Student Film Competition has been held for two years. The results are fruitful. SFC has become an important platform for ASEAN students to show their awareness and actions to protect marine ecology, which is fully in line with General Secretary Xi's earnest expectation of “care about the ocean, understand the ocean, and strategically manage the ocean”. Academician Pan expects the students to take 2021 SFC as an opportunity to promote marine knowledge, and to truly understand the ocean on a wider and deeper level, so as to build the ocean in a positive interaction and build a closer community of common destiny among ASEAN and China!
Mr. Yaya Sutarya, Education Counselor of Indonesia Embassy in China, fully affirmed 2021 SFC. He said that China and ASEAN are linked by waters and mountains, the oceans link destinies for these two regions. “Friends hope friends well, neighbors hope neighbors well. Share the ocean, share the destiny" is the same thought of the people among ASEAN and China. The success of 2021 SFC is a manifestation for young students from both sides serving "One Belt, One Road" initiative, promoting the understanding and exchange of different civilizations between China and ASEAN, and also helping to build a bridge of communication between the closer community of common destiny among ASEAN and China.
Mr. Chek Lim Bock, President of Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges of China in Malaysia, Dr. Vuth Sophakna, General Director of International Chinese Education and Teachers Institute at Royal Academy of Cambodia, Ms. Sudaporn Imcharoen, Director of International Resources Utilization and Promotion Group, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand, made speeches respectively from ASEAN-China humanity exchanges and talent trainings. They encouraged the ASEAN-China higher education to cooperate in a new era, to build up a multi-level education exchange mechanism.
The award ceremony was accompanied by an unveiling ceremony of Educational Practice Base of Marine Science and Technology between Tianjin University and National Maritime Museum of China.
Afterwards, Professor Saut Gurning from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember of Indoenesia, Mr. Tan Gongke, Head of Equipment and Technology R&D Department of National Laboratory for Marine Science & Technology (Qingdao) and some representatives of participants spoke in turn on the refereeing and participating experience of 2021 SFC.
Mr. Qu Tanzhou, director of Science Popularization Committee of the Chinese Society of Oceanography, Prof. Wang Min, Deputy Dean of College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China and Prof. Xue Xiongzhi, Dean of Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans (Xiamen Univ), spoke from marine science popularization, marine-related education and international communication work respectively.
The competition was organized by ASEAN-China Smart Ocean Centre of Tianjin University and co-organized by the Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans, under the support of ASEAN-China Centre and National Maritime Museum of China. The theme of 2021 SFC is "Marine Environmental Protection", the categories covered hot topics such as ocean currents and pollution transportation, carbon neutrality, etc. 2021 SFC started on World Ocean Day 2021 (8th June), has attracted nearly 1,000 participants from 41 universities in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia and the Philippines.
By: School of Marine Science and Technology
Editor: Qin Mian
