China calls for efforts to ensure emerging technologies better serve maritime security

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for efforts to ensure that emerging technologies better serve maritime security and people's well-being.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, low-earth-orbit constellations, and unmanned systems are developing rapidly, with broad potential to empower maritime activities, develop the blue economy, and maintain maritime security. At the same time, the misuse and abuse of emerging technologies, together with the growing governance deficit, pose new risks and challenges to maritime security, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"The international community should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, give equal weight to development and security, and ensure that emerging technologies better serve maritime security and people's well-being," he told a Security Council open debate on emerging technologies and maritime security.

All countries should uphold a people-centered approach and guide emerging technologies to develop for good and to benefit humanity. They need to make comprehensive use of technological tools to enhance maritime situational awareness, early warning, and emergency response capabilities, thereby supporting maritime law enforcement, search-and-rescue operation, and disaster prevention and mitigation, and more effectively combating maritime crimes, he said.

There is also a need to strengthen technical risk assessment and regulatory frameworks to prevent terrorist forces and criminal groups from abusing emerging technologies, to guard against cyberattacks, data breaches, and loss of control over autonomous systems, and to ensure that emerging technologies remain safe, reliable, and controllable at all times, he added.

In recent years, some regional conflicts have triggered tensions in surrounding waters and international waterways, and undermined global shipping security and supply chain stability, said Fu. "The parties concerned should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, actively engage in dialogue and consultation, resolve disputes through diplomatic channels, and promote the early realization of lasting peace in the region."

There is a need to increase financial, technological, and capacity-building support for developing countries, promote equitable access to emerging technologies for people in all countries, and bridge the digital-intelligence divide and the development divide, he said. "We must jointly foster an open, inclusive, beneficial, and non-discriminatory environment for technological development, avoid overstretching the concept of national security in the field of technology, and oppose efforts to incite bloc confrontation or force countries to take sides."

All countries must interpret and apply the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea fully, accurately and in good faith, and put an end to selective application and double standards. China supports the United Nations in playing an active role in improving global governance in emerging technologies and the oceans, and in fully safeguarding the equal rights of developing countries to participate in the formulation of international rules, he said.

China is a major contributor to global technological progress and a staunch defender of the international rule of law at sea, and is ready to work with the international community to harness emerging technologies to safeguard maritime security, empower and enhance global development, and jointly build a prosperous world with tranquil seas, said Fu.