China And Southeast Asia Team Up To Sharpen Typhoon Forecasts

Bangkok (GNP): Experts from China and Southeast Asia have met in Bangkok to improve how typhoons are forecast across a region that faces them every year.

The 9th China-Southeast Asian Countries Marine Cooperation Forum focused on the latest climate forecasting and marine disaster prevention. Southeast Asia is the world’s most active typhoon basin, and predicting how strong these storms will become remains one of the hardest problems in climate science.

The forum was co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. It brought together more than 200 representatives from over 40 marine administrative authorities, research institutions and universities across the region.

Participants discussed pathways for regional marine cooperation and sustainable maritime development.

Qiao Fangli, a researcher at the First Institute of Oceanography under the MNR, said the partnership shows how science can serve people’s well-being. He pointed to Thailand’s marine environmental forecasting system, a joint project with China. The system supported search-and-rescue operations after the Phoenix tourist boat capsized off Phuket in 2018.

Qiao also presented his team’s latest breakthroughs in typhoon forecasting. He described accurate intensity prediction as a long-standing scientific challenge and called on the region to unite to protect coastal residents’ lives and property.

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Thai officials echoed the call for shared action. Darika Sarunyagate, advisor to Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said regional cooperation matters more than ever. She hopes the forum will go beyond exchanging information and experience, and will help identify new areas of collaboration and deepen regional networks.

The forum also drew policymakers alongside researchers. That mix matters because Thailand wants scientific findings to reach the people who make decisions on the ground.

Pinsak Suraswadi, director-general of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, said, “We are committed to translating marine scientific research results into practical governance actions.”