Marine economy: New engine for growth

( China Daily )

Updated: 2012-06-19

Xiamen Guanyinshan International Business Center. Provided to China Daily

Fujian's provincial government has set the 2015 target for total output value of the marine industry at 730 billion yuan ($114.6 billion).

In 2011, the marine industry in Fujian achieved a production value of 442 billion yuan, a 20.11 percent growth compared to the previous year. Marine enterprises contributed a quarter of the aggregate regional production value last year.

Fujian's marine economy is set to further take off now that the province has been named the main beneficiary of the planned Western Taiwan Strait Economic Zone, which was approved in March by the State Council and will cover nine cities in Fujian and 11 spread throughout neighboring provinces.

At 136,000 square kilometers, the province's overall sea area is 12.4 percent larger than its land area. The length of the total coastline of the province is 3,800 kilometers, the second longest in the country.

Home to more than 1,400 islands that each have an area of more than 500 square meters, the province ranks second in terms of number.

As one of the earliest in Chinese history to do business with foreign traders, the province's marine economy has always played a vital role in the past and will be even more crucial in the future, local government leaders say.

In addition to the plan for the economic zone, another two plans for demonstration areas on Pingtan and Xiamen are guiding the rapid development of the province.

Wang Yi, president of the Beijing Tuowei Research Institute, said the sea holds the greatest potential for economic development.

"The demonstration economic development zone significantly improves the economic competitiveness of the Western Taiwan Strait Economic Zone," Wang said.

"It complements regional economic development as well as enhances cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits."

According to the province's department of ocean and fisheries, in the next five to 10 years, the province will form a marine industrial development zone based on the costal cities and ports.

The cities of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou will be established into two core areas in the zone and 10 islands, including the Pingtan Island, will be explored for economic development.

According to statistics from the local government, the overall investment of new projects under construction in the city of Ningde in the province reached 200 billion yuan, which is the record high in the past 30 years.

Many new projects are focusing on the emerging strategic industries.

In addition, energy companies such as Datang Group, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group and China National Offshore Oil Corp are also landing in the province, investing in a series of projects in energy, smelting and oil.

Meanwhile, educational institutes and research centers, including Xiamen University and Xiamen Ocean Vocational College, are making increased contributions to technological development in the fields of marine pharmaceuticals in the province.

The local government is paying more attention to cultural development in the region while making great efforts to achieve economic growth.

On May 22, the Fujian Ocean and Fisheries Department joined Fuzhou University to launch the Fuzhou Ocean Culture Center, which aims to create a national-level innovation platform of ocean culture.

Zhang Fushou, deputy director of the Fujian Ocean and Fisheries Department, said the province will improve its mixture of ocean culture and information technology, thereby cultivating a group of innovative industries to strengthen the soft power of the province.

Contact the writers at humeidong@chinadaily.com.cn and zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/16/2012 page6)