China's marine economy exceeds $1.6 trillion for first time
China's gross ocean product surpassed 11 trillion yuan, or about 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars, for the first time in 2025, with growth driven mainly by green energy and technological innovation.
According to the China Marine Economy Development Report 2026, the marine economy accounted for 7.9 percent of the country's GDP, reinforcing its role as an important source of national economic growth.
The report was jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources and reviews achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021 to 2025.
During that period, China maintained its leading global position in offshore wind power grid connections and newly added installed capacity.
Seawater desalination also continued to expand, with Chinese projects exceeding a combined daily production capacity of three million tons.
Marine pharmaceuticals showed significant progress as well. According to the report, independently developed Chinese marine-derived medicines accounted for around 28 percent of the global total.
Marine technology development also accelerated. China's manned deep-sea submersibles Jiaolong and Fendouzhe completed dives in ice-covered Arctic waters.
In addition, the "Mazu" series of marine early-warning and forecasting models was put into operation to improve monitoring and prediction of marine conditions.
Environmental protection has remained a major policy priority alongside economic expansion. Meng Qinglei, deputy director of the Ministry of Natural Resources' Department of Strategic Planning and Economy, said China's natural coastline retention rate has remained above 35 percent, while land reclamation has been strictly regulated.
China has also designated around 151,000 square kilometers of marine areas under ecological protection redlines and established 352 marine-related nature reserves.
The country has also created the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve, while the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf migratory bird sanctuaries have been included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
According to CCTV+, China's marine economy is increasingly combining industrial growth, renewable energy, advanced technology and marine environmental protection.
