During his visit to China in February, Cook Islands Premier Mark Brown praised the progress of Chinese aquaculture research and expressed interest in closer cooperation that could contribute to the development of his island nation.
During his trip, Brown visited the coastal cities of Qingdao and Shanghai, where he held talks with representatives of research institutions, including the First Oceanographic Institute. "We were very impressed with the level of scientific research and development that China has achieved in aquaculture. It is a key sector with great potential for our future as well," the Prime Minister said.
He was particularly interested in technologies that can be used to develop ocean farms, such as the ocean simulator at Shanghai University - the largest of its kind in the world. Brown stressed that the Cook Islands, spread over nearly two million square kilometres of ocean, will increasingly rely on the blue economy in the future.
"Each of the institutions we visited helped us plant the seeds of future cooperation. I believe that in the coming months and years we will start to reap the fruits of this cooperation," he added with a smile, revealing that he plans to prepare a vlog for his citizens from the trip - this time unconventionally from the snowy Charbin.
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