Blue economy an important target

A training class themed with blue economy was held in Shenzhen Reform and Opening-up Executive Leadership Academy from September 19 to 23. More than 34 officials from relevant municipal organs and the city's ten districts attended the five-day training course.

▲Opening ceremony of the training class

Blue economy is an economic term linked to exploration and conservation of the maritime environment and is sometimes used as a synonym for sustainable ocean-based or ocean-relevant economy. Traditional marine economy includes sectors such as shipping, fishing, aquaculture, oil and gas. However, in recent years, the definition has been widely enlarged to encompass other sectors like marine chemistry, bio-medicine, ocean power, seawater use, ocean engineering and construction, marine tourism and others.

The oceans are strategically important to China and its future development. There is no doubt that China possesses abundant marine resources along its 3 million sq km of offshore waters and 32,000 kilometers of coastline. The nation has proven marine oil reserves of around 24.6 billion tons and natural gas resources of over 1.6 billion cubic tons.

▲Prof. Paul Holthus presents his lecture online

As the country's most successful special economic zone and pioneer for reform and opening-up to the outside world, the southern a coastal economic powerhouse of Shenzhen is determined to build itself into a world-class center of marine economy. The city will take advantage of its marine resources and scientific and technological strength to seek high-quality growth for its marine sectors and make greater contribution to the country's marine economic development.

Shenzhen has prominent edge in offshore exploration of oil and gas, especially the exploration of the South China Sea. The Port of Shenzhen has already linked to more than 300 ports in over 100 countries and regions around the world. The container throughput of Shenzhen Port reached 28.77 million TEUs in 2021, ranking fourth globally.

▲The trainees in a heated discussion

Much more than that, local authorities are pushing forward the establishment of organizations such as an international marine development bank, a national deep-sea exploration center, a national deep-sea gene bank and a global think tank on marine affairs. Local government has also been working with domestic shipbuilding giants and renowned universities to set up oceanographic research bodies in the city. Plans for constructing a large maritime museum and a maritime university are also on top agenda.