Uploaded containers are seen at Qingdao Port in Shandong province on Jan 9, 2023. [Photo/VCG] 

Qingdao in East China's Shandong province has shown profound strength in developing its ocean economy.

Its achievements such as marine ranches and The Conson No 1 vessel were highlighted in the 2022 China Marine Economic Statistical Yearbook, which was recently released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Favorable policies

Qingdao has issued a series of favorable policies including a five-year plan, a three-year action plan and 15 specific measures to support the high-quality development of the marine economy.

Under the 15 measures, Qingdao has launched a batch of projects in such fields as deep-sea fishing, aquaculture, construction of marine ranches and the evaluation of rewards and subsidies for marine-related technological innovation. 

In the second half of 2022, the city granted a total of more than 41.7 million yuan ($6.06 million) of funds to scientific research institutes, talents and market players in the marine sector, which accelerated the transformation and upgrading of the modern fishery industry, and improved the quality and efficiency of equipment to attract more talented people.

Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Aiming high

In 2022, Qingdao's gross ocean product, or GOP, exceeded 500 billion yuan, and accounted for more than 30 percent of the city's total GDP and ranked first among coastal cities in China.

Last year, the city launched 88 key marine projects with a total investment of more than 200 billion yuan, and Qingdao attracted 153 new projects in the marine field with a total investment of 169.67 billion yuan. The Conson No 1, the world's first 100,000-metric-ton smart aquaculture ship, was put into operation and snagged 1,000 tons of fish.

This year, Qingdao plans to carry out 90 key marine projects with a total planned investment of 203.11 billion yuan and an annual planned investment of 28.06 billion yuan. The projects focus on industries such as marine fishery, equipment, pharmaceuticals and biological products, new energy, shipping services and coastal tourism.

Integrated development of land and sea

Port logistics is a pillar industry in Qingdao's marine economy and the city adheres to the integrated development of land and sea.

Qingdao is building marine industrial parks, promoting the agglomeration of marine industries and integrating the marine economy into the Jiaodong economic circle.

Other initiatives include the construction of world-class ports, an international shipping service center and the China-Japan-South Korea cross-border e-commerce retail distribution center.