People release a Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis Gary) into the sea in Xiamen, Fujian Province, on June 6.

The promotion of peace and security in the world's oceans will be a high priority for China as maritime issues become increasingly important, a Chinese official and an analyst said on the first World Oceans Day on Monday.

"China has shouldered a bigger responsibility as it has sent naval escort forces off to Somali waters to join the international community in fighting against the rampant piracy," said Wang Hanling, an expert in maritime affairs with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"As the biggest developing country holding permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, China should also increasingly commit itself to promoting fairness and effectiveness in international legislation to promote a sound oceanic order in the future," he said.

Noting that the promotion of maritime stability and security demands "a joint effort", Wang called upon nations to stick to the essence of the Charter of the United Nations and responsibly abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

This year, a raft of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea flared shortly before the May 13 deadline by which countries could submit proposals to the UN concerning the outer limits of continental shelves.

"It is our ocean and it is our responsibility too and we need to cooperatively find a solution in a peaceful way," Wang said.

Li Haiqing, spokesman for the State Oceanic Administration of China, said that in addition to stability and security of the oceans, the Chinese government puts the protection of the ecosystem at the top of its agenda.

"We recognize the ocean is vital to the livelihood of human beings and that it is closely linked to climate change and it is crucial to have a sustainable coastal economy and a sound ecosystem protection mechanism in China," Li said.

China has applied laws and regulations to manage sea resource exploitation and protect China's maritime interests.

In 1999, the National Maritime Protection Law was revised to step up efforts to protect the oceanic ecosystem. The Law on the Administration of the Use of Sea Areas was adopted in 2002 to regulate the exploitation of the oceans, he said.

Scientific surveys about the oceanic ecosystem have been conducted, with China setting up four survey stations in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Li also called for an overall maritime strategy and an effective matching mechanism to come out soon in China to take the nation's maritime efforts to a new level.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2009)