-- The Blue Book of China's Marine Economy was released on Oct 22, the opening day of the 2026 China Marine Economy Expo in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
Government officials, marine industry representatives and scholars from universities and research institutes attended the launch ceremony.
Ding Lili, editor-in-chief of the book and director of the teaching affairs office at the Ocean University of China, presented the publication, outlining its background and key highlights of this edition.
It marks the sixth release in the series, which was launched in 2021. Each year, OUC and the National Marine Data and Information Service examine key issues and frontier trends of China's marine economy and provide an assessment.
Wang Lei, deputy editor-in-chief of the book and deputy head of the OUC School of Economics, said the new volume contains 320,000 Chinese characters. Its four sections are a general report, industry analysis, regional analysis and thematic research.
Each section can be read independently, he noted, while collectively forming a relatively complete analytical framework for China's marine economy. The general report reviews the marine economic landscape of 2025 from four perspectives: external environment, development features, current challenges and future trends.
China's gross ocean product exceeded 11 trillion yuan ($1.6 trillion) in 2025, up 5.5 percent year-on-year and accounting for 7.9 percent of the country's GDP.
The report identifies several notable shifts, including a growing role for technological innovation, accelerated digital and intelligent integration across marine industries, and an expanding "blue circle of friends" — China's network of maritime partners. Overall, the marine sector is growing in scale while advancing toward higher quality and greater efficiency.
Government representatives at the launch said the blue book tracks both the current stage of marine development and future priorities, providing a practical reference for authorities to assess the situation, identify problems and refine policy.
Industry representatives welcomed the book for outlining the landscape of eight major marine industries and capturing real-time changes in business conditions. Its chapters on frontier topics — artificial intelligence-enabled marine development, marine applications of the low-altitude economy, investment and financing for deep-sea mining, and high-end shipping services — help companies break down information barriers and clarify pathways to match technologies with market demands.
For scholars and researchers, its value lies in detailed data, well-grounded arguments, and insights into deeper issues in marine development. Cross-disciplinary topics offer researchers abundant material to align theoretical studies with national strategic needs, as well as a benchmark for exploring tough questions concerning high-quality marine development amid China's modernization drive.
Sustaining this annual publication is far from routine repetition. As one of the two compiling institutions, OUC draws on its profound legacy in marine research, enabling the report to refresh its perspectives year after year. Headquartered in Qingdao and founded in 1924, the university is a cradle of China's marine and fisheries disciplines.
Underpinning its research capacity is a full suite of offshore research infrastructure: three research and training vessels operate year-round, carrying out observations spanning coastal and nearshore waters to the deep ocean and polar regions.
Over its century-long journey, the university has nurtured over 380,000 graduates, among whom are 17 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering specializing in marine fields, and four who have served as directors of the State Oceanic Administration.
Its development goals are clear: OUC aims to develop into a world-class comprehensive ocean university by 2030, and a world-class university with distinctive strengths by the mid-21st century.
Ding Lili introduces the Blue Book of China's Marine Economy during the 2026 China Marine Economy Expo. CHINA DAILY
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