France and China, both staunch advocates of multilateralism, have a key role to play in the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, said Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, in an interview with Xinhua during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), hosted in his city this week.

According to France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNOC3 has drawn participation from around 100 countries, significantly more than the previous editions held in New York and Lisbon. The conference also sees robust representation from the scientific community, civil society, and various international stakeholders.

"This gives me great hope that Nice, together with all who represent our planet, can bring about major advances in finding solutions," said Estrosi. He expressed hope that UNOC3 in Nice could achieve breakthroughs on par with the Paris Agreement, forged at COP21 a decade ago.

In March, the French and Chinese governments issued a joint declaration on climate to mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and to bolster momentum ahead of UNOC3. The declaration emphasized a shared commitment to offering "multilateral responses to the major challenges of our time."

"Only multilateralism gives us a real chance to act," Estrosi said, highlighting the importance of working with China to secure the ocean's future.

He praised ongoing bilateral cooperation, citing the Nice Observatory where French, Chinese, and international scientists collaborate to study the impacts of global warming on the ocean from space. "There is real cooperation," he emphasized.

Estrosi also recalled his longstanding relationship with China, having made numerous visits over the past two decades for both official and private reasons. In August 2019, he vacationed with his family in Hangzhou. "It's a truly ecological city," he noted. "Much of what I saw there inspired me to implement similar initiatives in Nice."