"China is willing to work with other ocean-driven countries to forge partnerships in oceanic affairs," Li told the audience. "We will join hands in opening maritime routes, developing ocean economies, exploiting the resources, and exploring unknown parts of the ocean."

In June, the State Council, China's Cabinet, approved the establishment of the New Area in the Huangdao district of Qingdao.

In the development plan for the area, the National Development and Reform Commission says it will "pilot innovation in marine technology, serve as a strategic base for deep-sea and offshore exploration, and become a pioneer in international cooperation for the marine economy".

The New Area, on the west coast of Jiaozhou Bay, covering 2,096 square km of land and about 5,000 square km of ocean, is the second National New Area dedicated to the development of the maritime industries, following the Zhoushan Archipelago New Area in Zhejiang province, established in 2011. It's expected to be ranked third in terms of annual gross product among China's nine national new areas, after the Tianjin Binhai New Area and the Pudong New Area in Shanghai.

Wang Jianxiang, Party chief of the Qingdao West Coast New Area, says the territory lies between the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster and the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, and is at the eastern end of the Eurasian Land Bridge, the overland rail link between East Asia and Europe, which provides a "superb geographic advantage".

The fact that Qingdao has seven national-level oceanographic research institutes, including the Ocean University of China, will add momentum to the area's sustainable development, Wang added, noting that the city is also home to China's only manned deep-sea submersible, the Jiaolong, and the nation's most advanced oceanographic survey vessel, the Science.

The new zone's two deep-water ports are capable of handling as much as 700 million tons of cargo a year.

With these advantages, it aims to reach a gross product of 500 billion yuan in 2020, and to ensure the output of the marine industries will rise by 15 percent annually, Wang says.

Expectation

Wang, who is also Qingdao's deputy mayor, says the approval of the New Area is expected to lead to another round of development in the city.

"Qingdao now has unprecedented opportunities to upgrade its industries and reinvent itself as a global city with a vibrant marine-related economy," he adds.

"Everyone who has visited our company is now aware of the close connections between their lives and the ocean," says Li Kechang, vice-president of Qingdao Bright Moon Seaweed Group.

"The noodles we eat, the soft drinks we like, the medicines we take and the cotton clothes we wear - none of them can be made without materials produced from seaweed," he says. "Trust me, almost every item of our daily necessities is connected to our products."

The company, which began as a tiny marine-chemicals plant, has grown to become the world's biggest enterprise in seaweed-based products, developing and manufacturing a wide range of items such as alginate, functional sugar alcohol, biomedical materials and marine-based cosmetics.

"As people become increasingly concerned about quality of life, our products, which are totally green and organic, will embrace a much bigger market," Li says.

"The New Area is determined to boost the marine economy, so it will depend heavily on the maritime biological sector, offering us abundant opportunities."

In 2013, China's maritime industries generated 5.43 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.6 percent, according to the State Oceanic Administration. The gross oceanic product accounted for 9.5 percent of China's GDP, and more than 35 million people were employed in maritime-related jobs. The New Area's establishment should see the gross oceanic product account for 10 percent of national GDP next year.

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