China News Service, September 10th. The State Council Information Office held a press conference on the “High-Quality Completion of the ’14th Five-Year Plan’” series on the 10th, introducing the high-quality development achievements in natural resources work during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period and answering questions from reporters.
At the meeting, Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration, used four keywords to summarize the effectiveness of China’s marine economic development during the “14th Five-Year Plan”.
First, “Breakthrough”. The gross ocean product has exceeded 10 trillion yuan. By collaborating with relevant departments and through planning policies, active support has been provided for the construction of marine strong provinces, modern marine cities, and marine economic development demonstration zones, achieving positive progress. In 2024, Guangdong Province’s gross ocean product exceeded 2 trillion yuan for the first time. The marine functional advantages of modern marine cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Qingdao have been continuously enhanced. Demonstration zones like Fuzhou and Xiamen have actively explored development paths in marine resource allocation, financial innovation, and ecological protection, playing an important leading role. In 2024, China’s gross ocean product increased by 34% compared to the end of the “13th Five-Year Plan”, accounting for 7.8% of the gross domestic product. The marine economy has become an important force for stable growth in the national economy.
Second, “Comprehensive”. China has become one of the countries with the most comprehensive range of marine industries. China now possesses all 15 major marine industries, each of which is large-scale and has strong momentum. For example, the total output of marine aquatic products has ranked first in the world for 36 consecutive years, meaning more seafood on people’s dining tables, and the construction of the “blue granary” has achieved significant results. Marine oil and gas have become the main force for increasing reserves and production, with the increment of marine crude oil accounting for over 70% of the domestic crude oil increment in 2024. The market share of marine and air equipment reached over 50% of the global total in 2024. The scale of seawater desalination projects has now exceeded 2.9 million tons per day, with Tianjin Binhai New Area having built the first fully domestically produced seawater desalination production line in China. China’s marine drug research and development capability has also entered the world’s forefront, with self-developed marine drugs accounting for 28% of the globally marketed categories. Among them, Xiamen has launched the world’s highest purity glucosamine drug. Marine energy technology and equipment have entered the world’s first echelon, with the Zhejiang Zhoushan megawatt-level tidal current power generator setting world-leading records in continuous grid-connected time and power generation. Sea transport volume and container throughput account for one-third of the global total. The added value of the marine tourism industry reached 1.6 trillion yuan in 2024, with cruise tourism and marine research becoming increasingly popular. The ocean has transformed into a “happiness check-in spot”, and the blue seas and silver beaches have become golden mountains and silver mountains.
Third, “Innovation”. Technological innovation has become the primary driving force for marine economic development. China’s first drilling vessel, the “Mengxiang Hao”, with a displacement of 42,600 tons and a drilling depth of 11,000 meters, has officially entered service, boasting world-leading comprehensive drilling performance. Major national achievements such as the world’s first 100,000-ton production storage oil platform “Shenhai Yi Hao”, the cruise ship “Adora Magic City”, the floating wind power platform “Haiguan Guanlan Hao”, and the deep-sea submersible “Fendouzhe Hao” have been successively completed and put into use. The fully submersible deep-sea aquaculture platform “Shenlan Yi Hao”, the large aquaculture工船 “Guoxin Yi Hao”, have been delivered, and the world’s first wave-energy aquaculture platform “Penghu Hao” has been operating stably.
Fourth, “Win-Win”. The blue economy has become a new field for cooperation and mutual benefit. Agreements on blue economy cooperation have been signed with more than 50 countries and international organizations, over 30 regional or /multilateral cooperation centers have been established, and more than 100 “small yet beautiful” practical cooperation projects have been implemented. The comprehensive seaweed utilization project carried out with Southeast Asian countries has played a positive role in local poverty reduction. The international influence of important platforms such as the China Marine Economy Expo continues to grow. China’s maritime shipping routes and service networks already span the globe, with maritime export value reaching 27.5 trillion yuan in 2024.
