SONG Yingdong, President of Harbin Engineering University

Harbin, August 23, 2024

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to gather with all of you in the beautiful city of Harbin during the highest of summer. Today, we are here to grandly hold the 7th International Conference on Innovation and Cooperation in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. On behalf of Harbin Engineering University, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the guests present! I also express our heartfelt gratitude to the higher authorities and associate organizations who have always supported the development of HEU!

In April 2019, President XI Jinping first proposed the concept of a "Maritime Community with a Shared Future". This initiative aims to maintain the overall balance of marine ecosystems and contribute to the establishment of a new order of marine governance that safeguards the common survival and development of humanity. It represents a concentrated expression and a vivid practice of the concept of “A Community of A Shared Future for Mankind” in the maritime domain. In 2021, the United Nations launched the “Ocean Decade” initiative, aimed at providing scientific solutions to reverse the decline in the health of the ocean and establishing a policy framework for the sustainable development of the marine environment.

Amidst the global efforts in maritime governance, the International Association of Innovation and Cooperation on Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, initiated by Harbin Engineering University, has taken on its mission to focus on the modern trends of digitization, networking, intelligence, automation, and greening engineering equipment. It aims to build a platform for cooperation and exchange among globally renowned universities, research institutes, and industry enterprises. The Association has carried out in-depth international cooperation in high-level scientific research, talent cultivation, achievement transformation, and resource sharing, promoting the common development of its member organizations and continuously improving the level of technological innovation in international shipbuilding and ocean engineering equipment.

Harbin Engineering University, with its profound maritime cultural accumulation and distinctive focus on shipbuilding and ocean engineering education, has gradually developed into an important base for talent cultivation and scientific research in China’s Shipbuilding Engineering, Marine Equipment Development, Ocean Exploration, and Nuclear Energy Application after more than 70 years of development. The discipline of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering takes the second place in the Global Ranking of Academic Subject and the first place in the fourth round of Subject Assessment organized by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

The university is a joint leader in the development of China’s first numerical tank virtual testing system and a key technical support organization for national strategic asset such as large cruise ships and marine low-speed engines. The “Wukong” unmanned untethered deep-sea submersible developed by the university has set a record for the deepest autonomous dive; the high-precision ultra-short baseline positioning system and the deep-sea sub-meter acoustic comprehensive positioning system, among other scientific and technological achievements, have been applied to various types of submersibles in China, demonstrating the country’s comprehensive strength in the field of marine high technology.

On September 7, 2023, during his inspection of HEU, President XI Jinping stressed that Harbin Engineering University should carry forward the fine tradition of the university, perform well in education, science and technology, and human resources, and make new and greater contributions to building strong educational system, greater scientific and technological strength, and a quality workforce. The important instructions of President XI Jinping have provided a fundamental guideline for the management of HEU and also pointed out the direction for the university to serve the development of the shipbuilding and ocean engineering industry.

As a university with distinctive features in the field of shipbuilding and ocean engineering, we place great emphasis on high-level opening up to the outside world and have always adhered to international scientific research cooperation and talent cultivation. We hope that this conference will further promote global cooperation and development in the field of shipbuilding and ocean engineering. We hope that experts and scholars attending can focus on the development of industry technology and talent cultivation, share new achievements, stimulate new thinking, and form new advantages, and give new impetus to the development of the industry.

Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends,

The university will take this conference as a new starting point, continue to take full academic advantages, and deepen international exchanges and cooperation, making new contributions to the development of China’s maritime industry and the building of the Maritime Community with a Shared Future.

Finally, I wish this Conference a complete success. I wish all the guests good health and success in work. Thank you all!