Recent data from the Ministry of Natural Resources for the first half of 2025 shows China's gross ocean product reached 5.5 trillion yuan, a 5.1% year-on-year increase. This growth rate outpaced the overall GDP expansion by 0.4 percentage points and accounted for 7.9% of the national total. The 5.1% figure reflects both the solid foundation of traditional industries and the surging momentum of emerging sectors, supported by stable resource supply and robust technological innovation, showcasing the resilience and vitality of China's marine economy under pressure.

Stable Supply of Marine Resources Strengthens the Economic Foundation

The Ministry of Natural Resources, in collaboration with relevant departments, has actively implemented proactive macroeconomic policies to accelerate the development of new productive forces and promote high-quality growth in the marine sector. A stable supply of marine resources has been key to this foundation. In the first half of 2025, 1,246 new sea and island use projects were approved, covering 123,000 hectares and involving over 380 billion yuan in investment, effectively meeting the needs of industries like fisheries, industry, and transportation. Offshore oil and gas production, a key area for output growth, expanded steadily with projects such as the Kenli 10-2 Oilfield Group (Phase 1) and Wenchang 16-2 Oilfield coming online. National offshore crude oil and natural gas output rose by 3.6% and 0.6% year-on-year, respectively. Offshore wind power development continued, with the launch of China's first large-scale 16.2 MW wind turbine project and the successful installation of the world's largest single-unit 16 MW floating wind platform, "Three Gorges Linghang." The Shandong Peninsula North L site, the deepest offshore wind project in China, reached full grid connection, generating an estimated 1.7 billion kWh annually. Seawater product supply capacity strengthened, with domestic output rising 4.7% year-on-year, driven by a 6.0% increase in mariculture production. Achievements in "marine food granary" construction included the launch of 12 tons of high-quality salmon from the "Guoxin 1 2-2" vessel's onboard aquaculture system, and the first catch of the world's first salmon farming vessel, "Suhai 1." In marine seed industry, 1.52 million yellow-spotted rabbitfish fry were mass-produced in Guangdong, breaking through a breeding bottleneck, and significant progress was made in the artificial breeding of the endangered "green wrasse."

Traditional Marine Industries Solidify While Accelerating Transformation

In 2025, the marine shipbuilding industry achieved a total added value of 181.1 billion yuan, a 25.1% increase year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing traditional marine sector among the 15 major marine industries. In the first half of 2025, the sector maintained its lead with record highs in new orders, completions, and outstanding orders, which grew by 105.2%, 34.8%, and 37.1% year-on-year, respectively, capturing 73.9%, 55.4%, and 63.3% of the global market share. The product structure continued to improve, with over 40 large vessels delivered, including 10,000+ TEU container ships, very large crude carriers, and large LNG carriers. Shipyard order books remain full, with some schedules extending beyond 2029. Deliveries of high-end vessels, such as the world's first 10,800-car LNG dual-fuel car carrier and the first 2,400 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship, demonstrate China's growing capability in high-end shipbuilding. The marine transportation sector remained broadly stable. National marine freight volume and cargo turnover grew rapidly, increasing by 4.7% and 7.1% year-on-year, respectively. Port production slowed slightly, with container throughput and cargo throughput at coastal ports rising 5.9% and 3.0% year-on-year, impacted by geopolitical tensions. The multimodal transport network expanded with new sea-rail corridors like "Xianning-Xiamen-Ho Chi Minh City" and "Chengdu-Greater Bay Area-Laem Chabang." Marine tourism consumption continued to release potential, shifting from traditional sightseeing to immersive, diversified experiences. National marine passenger traffic and passenger turnover increased by 4.6% and 5.4% year-on-year, respectively. Examples include the "Yujian Xiamen" series of ship-shore night tours, Qingdao's "Marine+" immersive consumption scenarios, and diverse offerings in Fujian's Dongshan Island and Pingtan. Guangzhou's Nansha cruise port operated 25 voyages in nearly five months since December 2024, handling over 110,000 passengers, up 5% year-on-year. China's first polar cruise brand, 66 Degrees Exploration, began its maiden voyage, and the domestic large cruise ship "Adora Magic City" successfully completed a pilot destination-less voyage. The "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Yacht Free Travel Management Measures" were issued, with over 20 Hong Kong and Macau yachts entering for the first time. During the May Day holiday, Sanya received 23,000 yacht passengers and 4,175 yacht trips.

Emerging Marine Industries Expand and Gain Momentum

In the first half of 2025, the marine economy's momentum shifted towards new growth drivers, with emerging industries expanding in scale and efficiency. The offshore engineering equipment manufacturing sector accelerated its upgrade, while marine clean energy development progressed orderly. New breakthroughs were made in marine biopharmaceutical policies and R&D, and the seawater desalination sector showed good development. New orders in the offshore engineering equipment sector surged 121.9% year-on-year, accounting for over 80% of the global market share. High-end offshore engineering equipment achievements included the delivery of China's first mobile multifunctional offshore platform, the "Haiyang Shiyou 283," the installation of the 16 MW floating wind platform "Three Gorges Linghang," and the completion of the world's largest offshore converter station, "Haifeng Zhixin." The 16 MW tension leg floating wind platform "Haiyou Anlan" departed port, and Chinese companies signed two EPCIC contracts for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, marking a new level of competitiveness. In marine clean energy, the "Tianyan" concentrated wave energy system, developed by the National Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, was selected for the International Energy Agency's 2025 Ocean Energy Annual Report, praised as an innovative technology suitable for large-scale development. Breakthroughs in seawater hydrogen production included Chinese research teams incorporating multi-factor coupling effects of real marine environments into the research system, and the establishment of China's first "electrolytic seawater hydrogen production and magnesium extraction" pilot base in Hainan. For marine biopharmaceuticals, China issued its first dedicated policy, "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the High-Quality Development of Marine Drugs and Functional Products," to guide the industry. Four original new drugs, including treatments for acute kidney injury, sepsis coagulopathy, advanced tumors, and pain, received approval for Phase 1 clinical trials. A major national S&T project for cardiovascular disease drugs based on marine resources was launched. In seawater desalination, an international standard for testing reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane elements, led by China, was approved and published. Chinese companies signed an EPC contract for Vanuatu's first new energy seawater desalination project, and CGN Uranium Resources Co., Ltd. started a new desalination plant project in Namibia, boosting international participation and influence.

Technological Innovation Accelerates High-Quality Marine Economy Development

According to the National Marine Data and Information Service, technological innovation continued to empower high-quality marine economic development in the first half of 2025, primarily through the integration of marine digital intelligence, enhanced enterprise innovation capabilities, and the development of smart, green ports supporting stable foreign trade. Ocean observation equipment advanced stereoscopically, with China's self-developed bionic jellyfish robot achieving near-silent underwater observation. The "Jingwei" buoy can simultaneously extract key sea-air and climate elements, and the world's first comprehensive observation buoy system with a disc-type single-point mooring structure was deployed, enabling continuous, stable, real-time profile observation of the water column. In deep-sea resource development, the "Zhishan 1" new green intelligent deep-sea development system completed sea trials, filling a technical gap in underwater mining and selection coordination. The "Pangu" marine intelligent forecasting model, the first in China to deeply integrate AI technology with full-stack domestic computing power, was deployed, promising a leap from "day-level" to "minute-level" marine forecasting. Other models like Ocean AI, the "Hai Jing" AI model, the "Langya 2.0" global ocean phenomenon intelligent forecasting model, the "Nanming" ocean model, and the DTO Engine 2.0 digital twin engine were released, set to support applications in marine ecology, aquaculture, wind power, and scientific research.

A survey of over 1,500 marine-related enterprises showed improving business conditions. With the gradual effects of growth-stimulating, demand-expanding, and consumption-promoting policies, 38.0% of enterprises reported increased revenue compared to the same period last year, while 32.8% reported stable revenue. Employment levels were stable or growing for 23.8% and 59.7% of enterprises, respectively. Looking ahead, 40.5% of enterprises were optimistic about the third-quarter economic environment, with 52.0% neutral. Enterprises continued to enhance innovation capabilities by increasing R&D investment, improving talent management, and accelerating digital transformation. The survey indicated that 22.4% of enterprises increased R&D spending year-on-year, with 67.7% keeping it stable, while 14.1% increased R&D personnel, with 78.7% keeping it stable. Port automation accelerated, with Shanghai Port and Qingdao Port achieving the world's fastest single-machine container handling rates of over 60 natural boxes per hour. Tianjin Port released a new intelligent horizontal transport system solution to address efficiency bottlenecks. Green port levels improved, with Qingdao, Ningbo-Zhoushan, and Shanghai Ports completing ship-to-ship methanol bunkering, moving low-carbon fuel supply from pilot to routine operations. Despite global supply chain adjustments and geopolitical challenges, China's marine foreign trade remained robust in the first half, with sea freight exports and imports rising 6.9% year-on-year, including a 7.8% increase in exports. Coastal port foreign trade cargo throughput grew 4.6%. The international competitiveness of high-tech, high-value-added marine products remained strong, with exports of wind turbine generators and parts, and ships growing by 35.6% and 24.9%, respectively. The shipping network extended further, with new routes opened to South Africa, Vietnam, the Middle East, Indonesia, and India. The "Maritime Silk Road" shipping route network now includes 148 routes connecting 48 countries and 150 ports.

An official from the Ministry of Natural Resources' Department of Marine Strategic Planning and Economy stated that overall, the marine economy maintained a stable, improving, and high-quality development trend in the first half of 2025, with new growth drivers maturing. However, the external environment is becoming more complex and volatile, domestic effective demand remains insufficient, and the foundation for stable growth still needs consolidation. The next steps will involve resolutely implementing the Central Financial and Economic Commission's sixth meeting's deployment to promote high-quality marine economic development, accelerate the construction of a modern marine industry system, stimulate market vitality, and enhance the endogenous driving force of the marine economy, contributing to building a strong maritime nation.