China boasts world's largest, most comprehensive marine industrial system: official

BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- China now boasts the world's largest and most comprehensive marine industrial system after years of development, said Ma Weichen, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission.

Ma made the remarks on the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.

The preliminary count shows that China already has all 15 major marine industries, the official added.

In 2024, China's gross ocean product surpassed 10 trillion yuan (about 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time, more than double the figure recorded in 2012, Ma noted.

China's marine industries are gaining remarkable momentum. In 2024, Chinese shipbuilders topped globally in all three traditional metrics -- completion volume, new orders and order backlog -- each holding more than half of the global market share, with new orders alone exceeding 70 percent, according to Ma.

China's marine ecological environment continues to improve. In 2024, 83.7 percent of China's coastal waters met the "good to excellent" quality standard, up 12.4 percentage points from 2018, Ma added.