Commissioner Vella will meet with Administrator Wang Hong to discuss ways to reinforce their cooperation beyond 2017, in particular their intention to upgrade their bilateral maritime cooperation to an EU-China Ocean Partnership. The Partnership would strengthen cooperation in key areas of ocean governance, such as the implementation of ocean-relevant Sustainable Development Goals, capacity building, promoting conservation and sustainable ‘blue growth’, maritime research, international fisheries management and the fight against Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Before traveling to Shenzhen, Commissioner Vella discussed EU-China cooperation in the fight against illegal fishing with Vice-Minister Yu, responsible for fisheries affairs, in Beijing. Furthermore, in the margins of the Commissioner's visit, the EU and China will celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2017 EU-China Blue Year, a series of activities and events aiming to foster closer ties between both blocks on ocean matters. The EU-China Ocean Partnership is part of the EU’s Ocean Governance Initiative.