Rising maritime threats test global trade lifeline

Maritime security is facing a rise in both traditional and nontraditional threats and has become a pressing global issue requiring negotiation, mutual respect and effective mechanisms to safeguard shipping — the lifeline of the global economy and stability, experts said.

Participants from around the world reached that consensus on Thursday at a forum hosted by Shanghai Maritime University focusing on maritime security and blue prosperity.

Zhang Feng, a professor and head of the School of Marxism at Shanghai Maritime University, said more than 80 percent of global trade and over 95 percent of China's foreign trade cargo — from what he described as the "workshop of the world" — is transported by sea. Disruptions to shipping operations would affect imports and exports, threatening the global economy and food and energy security, he said.