In April 2023 the NSCMB FEB RAS International cooperation department initiated correspondence with Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya (IDSSE CAS). A fruitful online meeting was held in September 2023, at which the issues of the deep-sea research and possibilities for collaborative research on the biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest were discussed. As a result, on December 22, 2023, the Memorandum of Understanding and the Agreement on joint marine expeditions between IDSSE CAS and NSCMB FEB RAS were signed.

During the online meeting, an agreement was reached on a joint cruise planned for summer 2024. At this time, the negotiations have an active status, and the upcoming cruise details are being discussed. In this regard, in March 2024 Igor Yu. Dolmatov, the NSCMB FEB RAS Director, Corresponding Member of RAS, Dr. Vladimir V. Mordukhovich, the Deputy Director for Science, and Dr. Konstantin A. Lutaenko, the Deputy Director for International Cooperation, are planning to make an official visit to Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hainan Island, Sanya, China.

The joint cruise will become an important step for both sides in the long-term and mutually beneficial scientific cooperation, and the Memorandum and Agreement signing is just the beginning of a new stage in the relationship between NSCMB FEB RAS and IDSSE CAS.