SIMS/SARCCM delegation meeting with Vice President Prof. Li Huajun of OUC.

On the morning of March 3rd 2014, Prof. Li Huajun (Vice President of the Ocean University of China (OUC)) met Prof. Peter Steinberg (Director, CEO of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS)), Prof. Warrick Lawson (Head of School, School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematics Sciences), as well as A/Prof. Xiao Hua Wang (Director of the UNSW Sino-Australian Research Consortium for Coastal Management) at its Laoshan campus. They exchanged views towards strengthening the research cooperation and collaboration of the World Harbour Project (WHP).

Prof. Li Huajun welcomed the visitors and reviewed the history of cooperation with the University of New South Wales. He introduced the background of OUC and said that OUC would enhance its cooperation with the SIMS and UNSW in student exchange as well as joint research via the WHP.

Prof. Peter Steinberg said that they had chosen OUC, Qingdao as a strategic partner, which showed its conformity and value to OUC in education and scientific research. During the meeting, Associate Professor Liang Shengkang from OUC presented a paper on the variability of the water quality of Jiaozhou Bay due to Qingdao's urbanization during the past 60 years. He pointed out that the main reasons for the deterioration of sea water quality in the Bay were the rapid increase of land-based pollution, and the ever-increasing intensity of the land reclamation.

A/Professor Xiao Hua Wang introduced his team's research results in studying the effects the Jiaozhou Bay reclamations on its tidal dynamics. One of the team's research conclusions is that reopening the Hongdao Island waterway would make little impact to increasing the residual tidal currents or improve the flushing of the Bay. Their research has attracted much attention by the Qingdao Environmental Protection Bureau and the Municipal Government of Qingdao, because it could provide scientific guidance on reopening the Hongdao Island waterway. This guidance may save billions of dollars for the country. Meanwhile, A/Prof. Wang said that the different locations of the reclamations had various influences on the tides of Jiaozhou Bay, which had provided a useful reference for Qingdao's future urban development. In a speech, Prof. Warrick Lawson expressed his wishes to strengthen the mutual understanding through communications and further enhance the cooperation between UNSW and OUC. OUC colleagues from the International Exchange and Cooperate Centre, College of Ocean Environmental and Engineering, College of Law and Politics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the College of Marine Geosciences, attended the meeting.

Further to the above meeting, OUC President Prof. Wu Dexin met the SIMS/SARCCM delegation on the morning of March 5th 2014. President Wu welcomed the delegation to OUC and again expressed his strong support for the WHP. He is looking forward to a successful SIMS/OUC research collaboration.

SIMS/SARCCM delegation meeting with OUC President Prof. Wu Dexin.

The Outcomes of the Visits

The meetings of the SIMS/SARCCM delegation with OUC, QEPB, QCCI and SOA East China Sea Marine Monitoring Centre have led to the following agreements on the World Harbour Project:
1. Letter(s) of intent to participate (in principle) in the WHP. 
2. UNSW/OUC Jiaozhou Bay and Sydney Harbour Research Synthesis Workshop at OUC on 24 October 2014 to celebrate OUC's 90th Anniversary.
3. Participation in a workshop by SARCCM and appropriate other representatives from Qingdao/Shanghai at the IUCN Congress where the WHP would be announced and the work program of the WHP discussed and initiated. 
4. In parallel pursuit of funding for the project, both in Qingdao/Shanghai and for the Australian component which will need to fund specific activities and an overarching framework. Some of this has begun with the NSW State Government.