On November 28, an international webinar themed “Regional Trade Agreement and Fishery and Aquaculture Products: Current Status and Future” was jointly held by SHOU, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Present at the webinar were Guo Aiping, member of the standing committee and Chief Accountant of SHOU; Audun Lem, Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division at the FAO; and David Vivas, Director of the UNCTAD Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch. The webinar was presided over by Yang Zhengyong, Dean of the College of Economics and Management of SHOU.

Guo Aiping stated in her speech that, as a “Double First-class” university with a focus on marine sciences, SHOU would join hands with FAO and UNCTAD to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (such as “No Poverty”, “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Oceans”), thereby contributing to the “Strength of SHOU” and serving the construction of a global ocean community with a shared future.

David Vivas, UN International Fisheries Advisor Christophe Bellmann, Nobuyuki Yagi from the University of Tokyo, and Chen Tinggui gave thematic reports and shared their views on the generalized system of trade preferences and aquatic product potential between developing countries, the clauses of innovativeness and sustainability in recent regional trade agreements, the influence of CPTPP on fisheries and aquaculture product trade, and the influence of RCEP on fisheries and aquaculture product trade, respectively. Chen Tinggui pointed out in the report that, in addition to tariff reductions, non-tariff measures such as optimizing customs procedures and promoting supply chain integration could also be taken to promote inter-regional trade of aquatic products.

During the exchange and discussion session, nearly 40 representatives of international organizations, foreign fishery departments, and higher education institutions from countries such as Canada, Indonesia, Japan, and China conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on the international trade prospects of fisheries and aquaculture products under the background of regional trade agreements (RTAs), how information dissemination can improve market access under preferential conditions, etc. Representatives of teachers and students, including Chen Tinggui, Deputy Dean of the College of Economics and Management of SHOU, and Zhangyan Xuedan, Associate Professor of the College of Marine Culture and Law, also attended the webinar.

Since the early 1980s, SHOU has been collaborating with international organizations such as FAO and UNCTAD in the fields of aquaculture, fishing, processing training, etc. In recent years, the College of Economics and Management of SHOU has continuously strengthened the cooperation with GLOBEFISH, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division at the FAO, in terms of talent cultivation, academic research and achievement transformation, the construction of a global fisheries basic database, etc. Since 2016, the College of Economics and Management has dispatched more than ten teachers and students to FAO for further education, and they hold an international seminar with FAO on behalf of SHOU every year. Starting from September 2023, FAO experts have been invited to SHOU to offer courses for Master and Doctoral students, giving global perspectives on the sustainable development of aquatic products.

The long-term cooperation and exchanges have continuously enhanced the international influence of SHOU in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture and injected strong impetus into its “Double First-class” construction and discipline development, laying a foundation for deepening cooperation in the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture.