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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Author: Sun Shuxian
Opportunities and challenges are intertwined in the vast expanses of the ocean. With growing global demand for deep-sea resource development, the transition to green and low-carbon development, and smart ocean governance, the ocean is increasingly becoming the focus of the international community.
Addressing climate change, developing marine renewable energy, increasing marine carbon sequestration, decarbonizing shipping, and combating ocean pollution have become pressing global imperatives. An international consensus has emerged to coordinate ocean development and protection, promote a sustainable ocean economy, and protect ocean beauty and life.
I. The ocean is the cornerstone of human survival and sustainable development. We must deepen our care, understanding, and strategic management of the ocean.
The ocean plays a crucial role in maintaining the Earth's ecological balance. It is the planet's largest heat reservoir, absorbing 30 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 90 percent of the excess heat generated since the Industrial Revolution. Its carbon absorption capacity is five times greater than that of tropical forests. The ocean stores 38 trillion tons of carbon, slowing the rate of global warming.
The ocean is also a major climate regulator. It produces 50 percent of the oxygen we need and 86 percent of atmospheric water vapor, and through its currents, it transports solar radiation from the equator to the poles, effectively regulating the global climate and temperature distribution.
The ocean contributes to the survival and development of humanity. About 40 percent of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. The maritime industry provides employment for over 300 million people. The ocean generates 80 percent of the Earth's biodiversity and supplies over 20 percent of the animal protein consumed by humans.
The ocean also contains 45 percent of the world's oil and gas reserves, and the potential for offshore wind, tidal, and wave energy development could exceed global electricity demand several times over.
The ocean is a driving force behind global economic growth. Since the 1970s, the global ocean-related economy has doubled nearly every decade, and its share of global GDP has increased from 0.73 percent to more than 4 percent.
If the ocean were a separate economy, it would rank seventh in the world by GDP. In many countries, the growth rate of the gross ocean product (GOP) exceeds overall GDP growth. In 2024, China's GOP grew faster than the economy as a whole by 0.9 percentage points.
The ocean holds the future of humanity. Today, the world is experiencing profound changes unseen in a century and faces unprecedented challenges such as depletion of land resources and climate change.
Therefore, the ocean has become a strategic frontier for high-quality development in the future. A new wave of ocean-based economies is rapidly emerging. At the same time, the question of how to balance development with environmental protection has become a new challenge for humanity.
International cooperation to jointly promote ocean prosperity and protect the marine environment is an inevitable way to solve global problems and promote the healthy development of the world economy.
2. China is committed to strategic ocean governance, strengthening maritime power, and actively promoting the comprehensive and high-quality development of the ocean.
Strategic ocean management has a long history in China. Even in the pre-Qin period (the period preceding the Qin Dynasty), practices such as "boiling seawater to produce salt" existed. The Maritime Silk Road, discovered during the Tang and Song dynasties, connected East and West. In the first half of the 15th century, the famous Chinese navigator Zheng He's seven voyages to the western seas became a remarkable chapter in the history of human navigation.
Since the beginning of China's economic reform and opening-up, the country's marine economy has entered a period of rapid growth. In recent years, striving to create a dual dynamic of development in which the domestic economy plays a central role and the domestic economy and international cooperation mutually reinforce each other, China has pursued integrated land-marine planning, coordinating the development of the marine economy, building a "marine ecological civilization," and international cooperation to ensure high-quality ocean development.
China's maritime economy continues to grow steadily. In 2024, the country's GNP reached 10.5 trillion yuan (approximately $1.48 trillion), up 5.9 percent from the previous year and accounting for 7.8 percent of GDP.
China maintains its position as a leading port power, with maritime trade and container throughput exceeding a third of the global total. The country has also built 169 national-level marine farms, and its seafood production has ranked first in the world for 36 consecutive years.
The country occupies more than 50% of the global market for ships and marine engineering equipment, and its shipbuilding capacity is the largest in the world.
Offshore crude oil production growth accounted for 75 percent of total crude oil production growth, and new and cumulative offshore wind installations accounted for more than half of the global total.
China is also accelerating innovation in marine science and technology. A number of major projects have been completed and put into operation, including the ocean drilling vessel Mengxiang (Dream), the Antarctic station Qinling, the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Fighter), the icebreaker Xuelong-2 (Snow Dragon-2), and the gas production platform Shenhai Yihao (Deep Sea-1). China also implemented the Matsu ocean forecasting model, which has elevated its early warning and forecasting capabilities to world-leading levels.
Oil and gas exploration has advanced from depths of 300 meters to 1,500 meters, and breakthroughs in deep-sea soft-sea-bottom drilling technologies have enabled the trial production of “flammable ice.”
National-level innovation platforms are also being expanded, and national laboratories in marine fields, such as the Laoshan Laboratory, are now operational.
Significant progress has also been made in environmental protection. An integrated land-sea spatial planning system was established, and the development of lands acquired from the sea was completely prohibited, with the exception of major national projects. The mechanism for monitoring natural coastlines was improved, and marine areas, islands, and coastlines are now managed through multi-level, classified regulations.
Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the country has approved the use of 9,858 square kilometers of marine and island lands and restored 159 square kilometers of existing reclaimed lands.
Programs such as "Blue Bays," "Harmonious and Beautiful Islands," and "Beautiful Coasts" were launched. Approximately 150,000 square kilometers of marine ecological reserves were designated, as well as 352 marine-related nature reserves.
From 2016 to 2024, China implemented 194 marine conservation and restoration projects, helping to rehabilitate 1,780 km of coastline, restore more than 53,000 hectares of coastal wetlands, and expand the area of mangrove forests to 31,000 hectares.
At the same time, China has deepened international cooperation in the maritime sector. Beijing has signed agreements with over 50 countries and international organizations and advanced practical cooperation with countries along the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.
China also actively participated in the UN Ocean Conference and the APEC Ocean Ministerial Meeting, and launched cooperation forums with Southeast Asian countries, African countries and small island states to exchange proposals and initiatives.
China has established a national committee to implement the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), developing a framework for action and securing the approval of one cooperation center, five implementing partners, nine major scientific programs and 21 projects.
China also actively participates in key international negotiations, including the UNCLOS-based Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the Rules on Seabed Mineral Resources Exploitation, contributing to global ocean governance as a responsible major country.
3. China will continue to develop and refine its maritime strategy, paving the way for strengthening maritime power with Chinese characteristics.
China has embarked on a new path of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization.
On July 1, at the 6th meeting of the Central Economic and Financial Affairs Commission, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that advancing Chinese-style modernization requires promoting the high-quality development of the marine economy and building a Chinese way of harnessing marine resources to achieve power.
This requires greater attention to innovative growth, effective coordination, industrial renewal, harmony between man and the sea, and mutually beneficial cooperation.
To implement the important instructions of Chinese President Xi Jinping, it is necessary to focus on advancing six key areas of work:
First, it is necessary to strengthen high-level support in design and policy. China will implement major strategic measures and reforms, including strengthening institutions and mechanisms to promote the development of the marine economy, formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Marine Economy Development, strengthening territorial governance of marine and coastal zones, comprehensively improving the efficient use of marine resources, and developing "blue finance" through the coordinated use of financial instruments to support the green and low-carbon development of the marine economy.
Second, it is essential to expand independent innovation capacity in marine science and technology. China will optimize the structure of key innovation platforms, focus on the deep-sea, environmental, and security sectors, and achieve breakthroughs in core marine technologies. China will strengthen basic, advanced, and strategic technological reserves in marine fields, implement major projects and programs in marine science and technology, expand technology transfer services, and promote the deep integration of marine scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation.
Third, the marine industry should be strengthened, optimized, and expanded. China will accelerate the development of a modern marine industrial system, take forward-looking measures for future industries such as deep-sea and marine digital industries, and vigorously develop emerging marine industries, including marine energy, marine pharmaceuticals and bio-products, and seawater desalination. China will promote the green and low-carbon transformation of traditional marine industries and encourage and channel social capital to actively participate in marine economic development.
Fourth, it is necessary to promote economic development and comprehensive planning in the Gulf region. China will promote the deep integration of the marine economy into major national regional strategies, the creation of regional growth centers for the marine economy, and the establishment of strong coastal provinces, modern maritime cities, and marine economic development demonstration zones. China will improve spatial planning for the development and protection of marine resources, promote the integration of coastal port clusters, and facilitate the rational flow and efficient agglomeration of resources and factors.
Fifth, it is essential to strengthen the protection and restoration of marine ecology. China will strictly monitor and regulate land reclamation, actively promote multi-level and three-dimensional utilization of marine areas, and strictly adhere to marine ecology red lines. China will establish a system of marine nature reserves, build marine ecological corridors and biodiversity conservation networks, continue to implement major projects to protect and restore marine ecology, and establish and improve a blue carbon trading system and a marine ecology early warning and monitoring system.
Sixth, China should actively participate in global ocean governance. China will advance its Blue Partnership initiative, focusing on joint scientific expeditions, offshore oil and gas exploration, disaster prevention and mitigation, and the blue economy. China will pursue comprehensive, multifaceted, and in-depth bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road. Within the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), China will launch international scientific and technological programs and provide more knowledge and services to the public.
Upholding the spirit of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, China will take concrete measures to realize the vision of building a maritime community with a shared future, cooperate with all countries to actively address maritime crises and challenges, strengthen practical cooperation in the marine economy and related fields, and lay the foundation for a marine ecological civilization, so as to create a beautiful and rich ocean and achieve common development and prosperity.
Note: Sun Shuxian is China's Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Director of the State Oceanic Administration.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Xinhua News Agency.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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