China's Gross Marine Product (GMP) exceeded 11 trillion yuan (about 1.6 trillion US dollars) in 2025, up 5.5 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Data from the ministry show that in 2025, China's marine GDP was close to 11.02 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.9 percent of national GDP, 0.1 percentage points higher than the previous year.

Traditional marine industries developed steadily and rapidly, the data showed. The supply capacity of marine aquatic products continued to strengthen. The production of marine crude oil and natural gas increased by 3.4 percent and 17.0 percent year on year, respectively. Newly received orders, completed orders and order backlogs for seagoing vessels all maintained an international market share of above 50 percent, ranking first in the world for 16 consecutive years. The integration of marine culture and tourism was particularly notable, with the number of cruise passengers increasing by 25.3 percent year on year.

Emerging marine industries continued to improve in quality and efficiency, according to the release. The added value of the marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry increased by 10.2 percent year on year; innovative achievements in marine biomedicine and biological products continued to emerge rapidly. The offshore wind power market continued to expand, with the newly added grid-connected capacity increasing by more than 60 percent year on year, and the direct utilization of seawater continued to grow steadily.

The capacity to ensure the supply of marine resources has been steadily strengthened, said the ministry. A total of 372,000 hectares of new sea and island use areas were approved during the year, involving investments exceeding 921.8 billion yuan, effectively guaranteeing the sea and island use requirements of projects in the fisheries, oil and gas, and wind power sectors.

"The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines a systematic plan for marine development, utilization and protection. The Ministry of Natural Resources will place greater emphasis on innovation-driven development, efficient collaboration, industrial upgrading, harmony between humanity and the sea, and win-win cooperation, striving to promote high-quality development of the marine economy," said Meng Qinglei, deputy director of the Marine Strategic Planning and Economics Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources.