Macao International Conference on Marine Administration, Utilization and Development was held at Macau Tower between August 3 and 4.  Officials attended and addressed the opening ceremony, and they were Chief Executive Chui Sai On of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Director Zheng Xiaosong of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R, Vice Director Huang Liuquan of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Director Zhang Zhanhai of Ministry of Natural Resource Marine Strategy Planning and Economic Working Group.

Nearly 200 participants from Germany, the UK and Portugal, and inland China, Hong Kong and Macau attended the conference, including representatives, experts and scholars from government authorities, research institutes and enterprises. Forty-seven experts and scholars gave papers and delivered speeches, including Jin xianglong and Dai Minghan, the academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wu Yousheng, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Yang Luwan, the emeritus chair professor of geography at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Jürgen Basedow from Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Law. President Ye Liudong of Guangzhou Maritime Court contributed Legal Research on Marine Environment Protection of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the conference.

The purpose of the conference is to improve scientificity and perceptiveness of Macao marine planning by learning advanced experiences and methods from other countries and regions in marine administration, utilization and development, and listening to beneficial opinions and advices. Basing on the marine environmental pollution cases before Guangzhou Maritime Court in recent five years, President Ye pointed out the urgency of legislative protection for marine environment in the Bay Area, and analyze the status pro quo of the legal protection of the Bay Area and came up with protection some measures which has provided valuable experiences and practical proposals for Macao Special Administrative Region Government on medium and long term plan for utilization and development of sea area, which have caused huge response and received high evaluation by appraisal guests and organizer.

President Sam Hou Fai of the Court of Final Appeal of the Macao Special Administrative Region gave a warm reception to President Ye during the conference. He spoke highly of the work of Guangzhou Maritime Court in recent years and hopes that we can provide experiences and suggestions on the increasing trial of maritime cases for Macao court system and sincerely invite our judges to Macao for exchange and discussion.