The State Council yesterday issued its first special marine
economic development programme aimed at boosting the country's
marine industries.
Under the programme, the country's marine economy is expected to
contribute about 4 percent of the country's gross domestic product
(GDP) within two years, and over 5 percent by year 2010.
The programme, for the first time, sets out a clear-cut definition
of the so-called "marine economy," as the total of various
industries involved in sea exploration and related economic
activities.
As
for the marine industries, said the programme, they include ocean
fisheries, ocean communication and transport, ocean oil and gas,
seaside tourism, ocean shipping, marine bio-medicine, sea water
utilization and salt production.
Wang Fei, spokesman for the State Oceanographic Administration,
said the new programme will consolidate the exploration of marine
resources, improve the economic layout of coastal areas and
facilitate industrial structural adjustment, all of which will in
turn make the marine economy the country's new economic growth
point.
Wang is confident of meeting the economic goals set by the
programme. "The marine economy has seen a fast growth rate in the
past two decades, and this programme will help maintain the high
speed into the future," he said.
The average yearly growth rate of the marine economy maintained
over 20 percent during the 1990s, jumping from 8 billion yuan
(US$966.2 million) in 1980 to over 285 billion yuan (US$34.4
billion) by the end of the decade. During that period, the marine
economy comprised around 2 percent of the country's GDP.
The contribution has continued to increase in the new century,
reporting a 3.8 percent share last year, when the total output
value of the country's marine economy stood at 850 billion yuan
(US$102.7 billion).
To
fulfil the goal, the programme has designated 11 comprehensive
marine economic zones, with various development emphases based on
their own special advantages.
Within the framework, various local governments can produce their
own supporting development programmes.
(China Daily May 28, 2003)