During 15-16 December 2024, H.E. Mr. Russ Jalichandra, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, led the Thai delegations to attend the 3rd China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation held in Kunming, People’s Republic of China.

Titled “Future of the Blue Indian Ocean-Development Practice of the Global South,” this meeting, co-hosted between China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Republic of Maldives, Barbados, and Yunnan Province, this forum aimed to discuss ways to promote ocean governance through international cooperation mechanism in areas, including conservation of marine resources, climate change mitigation, and fostering the implementation of Blue Economy to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   

On this occasion, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs delivered a keynote speech during the Sub-Forum titled “Forging a Disaster Response Barrier, and Jointly Building Cornerstones of Island Resilience,” underlining (1) Thailand’s active role as a strategic partner in marine environmental conservation, particularly through ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris, (2) the importance of Blue Economy, a concept which balances between making use of maritime resources as a driving force of economy and the conservation of ocean ecosystem, and (3) the vital roles of South-South cooperation. Thailand has provided support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in areas such as addressing climate change, sustainable development based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, capacity building and human resource development by organizing annual international training courses on related topics, and is pleased to share national strategy formulation and good practices in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent of SIDS countries. On this note, he urged all stakeholders for a constructive collaboration to jointly share development experiences and innovations, which will be main driving forces towards the attainment of SDGs.  

Furthermore, during the forum, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs met with Mr. Zhao Fengtao, Vice Chairman of CIDCA. Both sides expressed satisfaction with vibrant cooperation between Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and CIDCA over the past period. As 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China, both sides also agreed to further expand comprehensive cooperation, particularly in addressing urgent issues in the Mekong Sub-region, such as transboundary haze.