Harnessing the sea: Shandong's maritime sector flourishes

Leveraging its advantageous coastline and cutting-edge aquaculture technology, Rizhao has extended its salmon industry chain, exemplifying Shandong's efforts to transform and upgrade its marine industry.

In recent years, Shandong's marine industrial system has been continuously improving. In 2023, the added value of the province's 15 marine industries reached 762 billion yuan ($105 billion), a 7.9 percent year-on-year increase and ranking first in the nation for the fourth consecutive year. Six marine industries – marine fishery, marine aquatic product processing, marine mining, marine salt, marine chemical industry, and marine power generation – topped the nation in terms of added value that year.

Emerging industries such as offshore wind power and offshore photovoltaics have injected new vitality into Shandong's blue economy. In 2023, the province's marine power generation, marine medicine and biological products, seawater desalination and comprehensive utilization, and marine engineering equipment manufacturing industries collectively achieved an added value of 51.33 billion yuan, a 9.3 percent year-on-year increase. Simultaneously, the added value of the province's marine tourism, marine transportation, and marine chemical industries all exceeded 100 billion yuan.

Ports serve as crucial pillars for economic development. In recent years, Shandong has actively coordinated land-sea development and established domestic and foreign linkages. This has been achieved by accelerating the construction of a world-class port cluster, promoting the high-quality development of inland waterway transportation, and expanding the network of China-Europe freight trains.

Shandong has also advanced the comprehensive governance of its marine ecological environment, synergistically preventing and controlling pollution, protecting and restoring ecosystems, and remediating the environment of seaside shores and beaches.

Shandong's transformation and upgrading of its marine industry serves as a model for other coastal regions in China, demonstrating the immense potential of harnessing marine advantages to drive economic growth and environmental sustainability.