Overview

Marco Polo - ZHENG He Academy of International Oceans Law and Policy has been committed to promoting participants’ knowledge of international oceans law and policies. Started in 2006, the Academy has been successfully held for nine years, from 2006 to 2012 by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy of Xiamen University. In 2012, the South China Sea Institute (SCSI) was founded which later in 2013 replaced the aforementioned Centre for Oceans Policy and Law to become the sponsor and organizer for the annual summer training programs of the Academy in the following years until 2019. The Academy is designed to build a first-class exchange and learning platform for students, young teachers, and other enthusiasts of international oceans law and policies. By sharing quality education resources and strengthening inter-academic exchanges, it is aimed at cultivating practical talents for China’s marine programs.

Adhering to the principle of combining theory with practice, the Academy is composed of two parts, namely, field trips and lectures, with all lectures delivered in English by leading experts at home and abroad in four weeks.

In the past 15 years ever since 2006, several hundred Chinese and foreign university students, teachers, researchers and governmental officials from the walks of marine sciences, the law of the sea and marine environmental protection, were attracted to this training programme. A piece of statistical work shows that they came from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brunei, Cameroon, Columbia, China, East Timor, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey and the United States. Although most of the trainees were still university students of ocean-related major, they all demonstrated willingness to become, upon completion of their study and graduation, marine scientists and civil servants to serve their own countries or prominent international organizations such as the Authority.

The four destinations of field trips for 2019 Summer Academy are all closely related to international oceans law and policies and carefully chosen by SCSI, namely, Quanzhou Maritime Transportation History Museum, Scientific Research Vessel Jiageng, Museum of Maritime Science and Technology(Xiamen University), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science(XMU Xiang’an Campus) and Xiamen Maritime Safety Administration, all of which provides us with strong support and free assistance and expresses their long admiration of the Academy and their intention to send their staff to the Academy for further education in the coming years. After our efforts for nearly 15 years, the Academy has gradually evolved into a stable, high level brand of summer program.

All participants of the Academy will be awarded a certificate of completion after completing all courses and passing relevant examinations and outstanding participants can obtain a certificate of outstanding students in addition. Participants of Xiamen University can gain certain credits in accordance with the University’s relevant regulations on summer semesters.