On March 23, 2026, the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC), in collaboration with the Paris Peace Forum and CCG, successfully held the Private Luncheon on Ocean Conservation, Science and the Blue Economy at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Representatives from international organizations, research institutions and European and Chinese think tanks engaged in in‑depth discussions on ocean conservation, marine science research and blue‑economy cooperation, exploring practical paths to strengthen international collaboration and advance global ocean governance amid a complex and shifting international landscape.
The luncheon opened with welcome remarks from Wu Zhong, Director‑General of FCSSC, and Justin Vaïsse, founder and Secretary‑General of the Paris Peace Forum. In his remarks, Dr. Wu highlighted the FCSSC’s long‑standing efforts to promote international capacity cooperation and the sharing of development experience and knowledge, while emphasizing the growing importance of ocean conservation and the blue economy for global sustainable development. He noted that international cooperation across many fields is confronting unprecedented challenges and said that, as one of the organizers, FCSSC was pleased to convene representatives from government, business and academia on the sidelines of China Development Forum to hear their observations and insights.
A strategic‑reflection session was moderated by Geneviève Pons, President and Secretary‑General of the Europe Jacques Delors Institute. Speakers included Pascal Lamy, Vice‑Chair of the Paris Peace Forum and former Director‑General of the World Trade Organization; Xue Lan, Dean of the Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University and so on. Representatives focused on ways to strengthen marine science cooperation, promote technology sharing and capacity building. They also discussed how to bolster multilateral coordination to advance global ocean conservation and sustainable use in the context of reduced U.S. research funding and an increasingly complicated environment for international collaboration.
Other attendees included Laurent Bardon, Counselor for Green Transition and Environment & Climate Action at the EU Delegation to China; Mattie Bekink, China Country Representative, Ford Foundation; Jang Ping Thia, Assistant Chief Economist, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Vuk Jeremić, Senior Advisor at Eurasia Group and Professor at Sciences Po; Yuan Jiakai, Executive Director‑General, FCSSC; Tang Min, Former Counselor to the State Council; Zuo Xiaolei, Chief Economist, Galaxy Securities; and Myriam Pavageau, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of France in China.
