To further implement the Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and to fully play the role of maritime judiciaries in protecting the marine environment, on the morning of November 5, Ye Liudong, President and Party Group Secretary of Guangzhou Maritime Court, and his counterparts including President Xu Yahui from Haikou Maritime Court, and President Tang Haibo from Beihai Maritime Court, signed the Collaboration Agreement on Judicial Protection of the Marine Environment of the “Beibu Gulf - Qiongzhou Strait”, with a view to building a judicial collaboration platform for protection of marine environment. Presented on the ceremony also included representatives from the High People’s Court of Hainan Province, the Standing Committee of the Municipal People’s Congress of Haikou, the Maritime Safety Administration of Hainan Province, the Department of Natural Resources and Planning of Hainan Province, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province, the First Branch of People’s Procuratorate of Hainan Province, Hainan coastguard, and Hainan Lawyers Association.
According to the Agreement, the three courts would put in place various mechanisms for regular consultation, daily communications, coordinated actions, sharing of resources, research collaboration, and personnel training and exchanges, to share their experience in protection of marine environment and resources and to create a “friend circle” dedicated to the protection of marine environment and resources of the “Beibu Gulf - Qiongzhou Strait”.
President Xu Yahui said, Haikou Maritime Court would stand abreast with Guangzhou Maritime Court and Beihai Maritime Court to build the collaboration platform for the judicial protection of marine environment of the “Beibu Gulf - Qiongzhou Strait” with a sense of firm political commitment and overall planning, extensive sharing, and better services. The trio would bring new and greater contributions to boost the national and regional economies and the construction of the National Eco-Civilization Pilot Zone in Hainan.
President Ye Liudong hoped that three courts would stick to the principles of mutual complement, collaboration, and value of practical effects, and make every effort to build a long-term mechanism for the performance of the collaboration agreement. In addition to the collaboration at hand, he also expected more extensive and multilevel joint efforts to develop new platforms and new strengths in Party building and other activities.
President Tang Haibo pointed that the conclusion of the collaboration agreement was an innovative step for the three courts in safeguarding the marine ecological progress, and an act in response to the call of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Party’s 19th Central Committee. Beihai Maritime Court would work hand in hand with its two counterparts to implement the collaboration agreement and enable the maritime judiciaries to play a more active role in protecting the marine environment and resources of the Beibu Gulf and Qiongzhou Strait area.
As the country continues to unveil major strategies such as the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Greater Bay Area, and the New Land-Sea Corridor in the western region, the coastal economic belts in South China are bestowed with another golden opportunity. The three maritime courts, operating in the “Beibu Gulf-Qiongzhou Strait” area, are shouldering common responsibility and mission in protecting the marine environment and resources and in boosting the high-quality development of the marine economy. The conclusion of the agreement by the three courts is a further implementation of the spirits of the Party’s 19th National Congress and the overall planning of the Central Committee, a practical measure to implement the philosophy of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, and an effective step to address the global menace of marine ecological pollution and to secure a high-quality social and economical development in all respects.
Taking the collaboration as a new starting point, the three maritime courts, with a unified commitment and joint efforts, vow to shoulder the responsibilities in safeguarding the beautiful marine ecological environment of the “Beibu Gulf-Qiongzhou Strait” area and the charming landscape of blue sea and sky and green mountains and rivers.