Spring sunshine blooms forever, everything is updated. On this beautiful occasion of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, China Institute of Navigation would like to extend heartfelt thanks and sincere wishes for the Chinese New Year to all members, nautical scientists and technologists, seafarers, and frontline shipping workers, as well as leaders at all levels and people from all walks of life who have always cared about and supported the development of China Institute of Navigation!
Observe the overall trend of chess and plan for the overall situation. Looking back at 2024, the international situation is intertwined with turmoil, geopolitical conflicts are escalating, "decoupling and disconnection" is intensifying, and the impact of the century-long changes is becoming more profound. Faced with the turbulence of the international situation, China has shown more composure and confidence. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has drawn up a grand blueprint, comprehensively is deepening reform and striding forward, New China ushered in the 75th anniversary, Chinese path to modernization entered a new chapter. The trumpet blowing, and a new journey set sail, inspiring the vast number of maritime science and technology workers to closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core, and to strive for excellence in achieving high-level maritime technology self-reliance and self-improvement.
"Vitality everywhere transforms naturally; Heaven's work and human ingenuity compete daily for innovation." Over the past year, under the correct leadership of the China Association for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and with the guidance and strong support of the Ministry of Transport, the China Institute of Navigation (CIN) has thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Following the work requirement to "basically establish a first-class learned society with Chinese characteristics," CIN has diligently cultivated and innovated while adhering to fundamental principles. During this year, we have consistently served the overall interests of the Party and the country, effectively fulfilling our role as a hub for science and technology and a bridge connecting industry, academia, and research. We have strengthened overall coordination, enhanced exploration and innovation, conducted in-depth studies and judgments on the development trends and focal issues in frontier areas such as low-carbon (zero-carbon) development and smart shipping in the shipping industry under the dual-carbon goals, and have taken a more proactive approach in serving national strategic decision-making and the high-quality development needs of the industry. Focusing on the cutting edge of science and technology, CIN has established platforms for exchange such as the Summit on Building a Powerful Maritime Nation. We have conducted special investigations on topics such as the development of shipping on the Panzhihua-Yibin section of the Jinsha River, the integration of maritime supervision and service guarantees in the Yangtze River Delta, and the operation of river-sea direct shipping vessels. We have selected major and difficult issues in the field of navigation to promote breakthroughs and applications in key innovation areas. CIN has continuously built the "Maritime Science and Innovation" platform, proactively connected with the "Science and Innovation for China" technology service team, organized high-level think tank experts to conduct in-depth investigations in places such as Ningbo, and guided scientific and technological innovation to accurately serve local industrial development.
This year, we have strengthened brand building and achieved fruitful results in academic exchanges and science popularization efforts. We have further consolidated the academic exchange system with the "China Maritime Day Activity Week" series as the backbone, supported by the China Maritime Academic Annual Conference and open academic conferences, gradually forming a high-end, standardized, and serialized brand for the institute. We successfully applied for projects such as "Optimization and Adjustment of the High-Quality Scientific and Technological Journal Classification Directory in the Field of Navigation" and the "Bilingual Dissemination Project for Chinese Scientific and Technological Journals," continuously enhancing the attractiveness of maritime scientific and technological journals to high-level academic achievements. We hosted the National Maritime Science Popularization Season and a maritime science popularization work solicitation event, with over 100 excellent works opening up a "new garden" for science popularization.
This year, we have adhered to the principle of strengthening the institute through talent, comprehensively enhancing the cohesion and attractiveness for high-level and outstanding talents. The specialized think tank function, which integrates the expert database, achievement database, and demand database in the field of navigation, has become more diverse. With the establishment of the Youth Expert Committee of the China Institute of Navigation and the selection of talents into the China Association for Science and Technology's Youth Talent Support Program, the path for young people to grow and succeed has been continuously expanded. The "Fellow of the China Institute of Navigation" and the "China Institute of Navigation Science and Technology Award" have increasingly strengthened their ability to attract high-level talents from across the country.
Over the past year, we have adopted a global perspective, continuously expanding international channels for scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation. We successfully hosted the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN) 2024 World Congress, the 6th “Silk Road Maritime” International Cooperation Forum, and the 2024 Asian Navigation Academic Annual Conference, jointly exploring key challenges and breakthrough advancements in cutting-edge maritime fields, and promoting open scientific and technological collaboration. Zhang Baochen, Vice President of the Society, was successfully elected as the new President of the IAIN, and Zhai Mo, China’s Maritime Science Popularization Ambassador, was honored with the IAIN “Nico Award”. These achievements have further enhanced our capacity to hold positions and perform responsibilities within international organizations.
As days and months pass, time moves forward relentlessly. The year 2025 marks the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the strategic planning year for the 15th Five-Year Plan. In this new “time unit”, our responsibilities and missions remain unchanged. We will always bear in mind our mission, move forward with gratitude and determination, and focus on high-quality development as our central theme, driven by reform and innovation. Our goal is to continuously build a world-class society by leveraging the platform, expert, and resource advantages of the society, accelerating the modernization of our governance system and capacity. Through the high-quality development of the society, we aim to advance the high-quality development of the maritime industry, contributing to achieving high-level maritime technological self-reliance and independence, and making new and greater contributions to building a strong nation and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, smooth work, family happiness, and success in all endeavors!
Party Secretary and President of the China Institute of Navigation: (Signature)
January 27, 2025