On the morning of May 21, 2019, 21st-Century Maritime Cooperation Committee Meeting was held in Yiwu, China. Ms. Tri Rismaharini, President of UCLG ASPAC and Mayor of Surabaya, Ms. Stephany Uy-Tan, Co-President of UCLG ASPAC and Mayor of Catbalogan City, Mr. Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha, Co-President of UCLG ASPAC and Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality,  Mr. Shen Xin, Director General of Department of European and Asian Affairs, CPAFFC, and Dr. Bernadia, Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

Ms. President Tri Rismaharini congratulated Fuzhou for successfully holding the Marine Economy and Urban Development--Coastal Port Cooperation Forum and extended thanks for Fuzhou’s active role in the affairs of UCLG ASPAC. She hoped that the Committee can serve as a platform and play a leading role to conduct cooperation with the Committee members and organizations in the fields of life improvement, marine disaster prevention and treatment of plastic waste in the ocean. 

Mr. Shen Xin said the Committee was inaugurated as an achievement in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Over the past two years, the Committee has become one of the most important committees of UCLG ASPAC. CPAFFC will continue to provide support for promoting high-quality development of the Committee.

In the view of Ms. Stephany, Catbalogan City was once an important port city in the Philippines. She hoped that participants can share wisdom and experience through the Committee, so as to carry out cooperation in port and marine industries.

Mr. Byanju Shrestha thought that as the largest regional section of UCLG, UCLG ASPAC provides a platform, not only for local governments to voice, but for them to share experience. Nepal is at an important stage of development and is continuing its opening up. He hoped to enhance exchanges with the Committee members.

Mr. Wu Xiaojie, Executvie Deputy Secretary General of 21st-Century Maritime Cooperation Committee and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government, reported the activities and work plans of the Committee. Mr. Sun Wenfeng, Deputy Director of Fuzhou Municipal Housing Administration, and Ms. Chen Ran, Assistant to the President, Fuzhou Planning Surveying and Design Research Institute, respectively introduced Fuzhou’s old house renovation programs and the treatment of black and foul water pollution, which aroused enthusiastic responses from the participants. They had heated discussions and exchanges on the approaches by the government and private sectors to conduct financing and cooperation in the old house renovation and treatment of water pollution. The participants from Nepal, the Philippines and other UCLG ASPAC countries have also invited technicians from Fuzhou to conduct site visits in their cities, so as to jointly discuss about how to solve those problems like waste water treatment and old house resettlement there. 

Secretary General Bernadia delivered a closing speech. She hoped that the Committee could proactively unite coastal cities in the Asia-Pacific Region to carry out discussions and collaboration in responding to marine plastic pollution and chain reaction caused by sea level rise.

Over 80 participants from Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jakarta, Jeju, New Zealand One Belt One Road Council, Chile  and  other Committee members, cities and organizations attended the meeting.