How China can turn its ‘blue cradle’ into a bridge with Southeast Asia

China has spent 80 years building formidable marine science capabilities. The harder test now is whether it can build rules for ocean data that its neighbours trust – and share.When China’s first department of oceanography was established in 1946, the country had only a modest capacity to study the seas around it. China now commands one of the world’s most extensive marine science enterprises, with research fleets, satellites, ocean-observation networks, deep-sea technology and advanced laboratories.As Xiamen University celebrates the department’s 80th anniversary, the question is what comes next. Scientific leadership depends on two aspects: how much knowledge a nation acquires, and whether others can trust and use it.