Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia and China are strengthening scientific and technological cooperation in marine research to address climate change, ecosystem degradation, and the need for sustainable management of marine resources.
The cooperation was discussed during the 8th Indonesia-China Joint Committee Meeting on Research and Innovation in Jakarta on August 19. Marine research emerged as one of the key areas of collaboration, with both countries seeking to integrate research capabilities, infrastructure, and data to develop solutions for growing marine and climate challenges.
Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN) Organization for Earth and Maritime Research, Luki Subehi, said the ocean holds strategic importance in Indonesia-China relations. He emphasized that both countries share interests and a common vision in strengthening their capacity as maritime nations.
Scientific and technological cooperation between Indonesia and China has formed an important part of their comprehensive strategic partnership. One of the key initiatives is the China-Indonesia Joint Laboratory for Marine Sciences, jointly organized with the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The joint laboratory serves as a platform for research collaboration in marine ecosystem protection, blue economy development, and marine governance. BRIN expects the existing facilities and research networks to develop into a broader regional center for marine science and technology cooperation.
The collaboration is also expected to expand into marine biodiversity research, ecosystem restoration, blue economy development, and responses to emerging marine challenges.
Vice Minister of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China Long Teng said Indonesia-China research cooperation has developed a strong foundation over more than a decade, involving universities, research institutions, and scientists from both countries through research programs and scientific publications.
Long emphasized that climate and marine issues require cross-border scientific approaches. Future cooperation should therefore move beyond individual research partnerships toward more integrated and inclusive collaboration.
Potential areas include marine and climate research, biogeochemistry, geoscience, scientific expeditions, research instrumentation, marine data management, and artificial intelligence applications.
Indonesia’s strategic location between the Pacific and Indian oceans also provides an important natural laboratory for studying interactions among the ocean, climate, biogeochemical processes, and the Earth system.
According to BRIN, combining the research capabilities of Indonesia and China could generate scientific knowledge and technological solutions that benefit not only the two countries but also the wider Indo-Pacific region and the global community.
BRIN Head of the Deep Sea Research Center A’an Johan Wahyudi said Indonesia already has several research cooperation frameworks with Chinese institutions, including the Indonesia-China Center for Ocean and Climate (ICCOC) and various memoranda of understanding between BRIN and Chinese research organizations.
The cooperation covers marine and atmospheric research, climate, marine policy, ocean data, marine safety and conservation, and research supporting sustainable development.
BRIN’s marine research is supported by three research buildings containing 17 laboratories. The facilities include laboratories for marine genetics and molecular biology, marine plankton, marine biology, marine botany, ecotoxicology, microbiology, and various characterization and experimental activities.
The facilities are available not only to BRIN researchers but also to doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, domestic and international researchers, university students, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
BRIN’s marine research focuses on five major domains: physical ocean processes, marine biogeochemistry, marine resources and productivity, conservation and resilience, and marine ecosystems and pollution. These areas are supported by modeling and prediction, data analysis, laboratory research, and environmental monitoring.
The 8th Indonesia-China Joint Committee Meeting continued with a delegation visit to the LATERIO Laboratory at the BRIN Ancol Complex in Jakarta. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase Indonesia’s research infrastructure and explore further cooperation in research and innovation.
Indonesia and China expect their strengthened marine research partnership to produce more than scientific publications. The collaboration is intended to generate technologies, data, and practical solutions for marine and climate challenges while building shared scientific capacity that can benefit the region and the wider world. (*)
