Southern Metropolis Daily:

The maritime economy is an important part of the national economy. A developed maritime economy is an important support for building a strong maritime country. Over the past decade, what progress has been made in developing the maritime economy and building a strong maritime country? What are the next major tasks? Thank you.  

Zhang Zhanhai:

Thank you for your questions. As you said, the maritime economy is an important manifestation of comprehensive national power and is closely related to the lives of the people. Therefore, the whole of society attaches great importance to it. The oceans are strategically important to high-quality development. We should speed up the progress in the construction of world-class sea ports, a well-established modern maritime industry system, and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment to push for the building of a maritime power, General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted. MNR has conscientiously implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and worked together with related departments and localities to promote the high-quality development of the maritime economy. New progress has been made in developing the maritime economy. 

First, the overall strength of the maritime economy has been improved. From 2012 to 2021, the total value of the maritime economy rose from 5 trillion yuan to 9 trillion yuan, with its proportion to GDP remaining around 9%. The structure of maritime industries has also been continuously improved. In particular, the growth rate of emerging maritime industries has exceeded 10%. China is also the world's largest ship building country, which has been further enhanced. China has become a front-runner in ocean engineering equipment manufacturing. The scale of its maritime ports and the total installed capacity of offshore wind power have ranked first around the world. MNR also worked with related departments to release financial guidelines on supporting the development of the maritime economy. The loan balance of the maritime economy of major banks is maintained at 600 billion to 700 billion yuan. 

Second, the effective use of maritime resources has been enhanced. We established and improved a management and control system on sea reclamation with the aim of continuously strengthening management and control. We guaranteed the implementation of major national projects under strict management and control. We classified and resolved longstanding problems and quickened our steps to effectively revitalize sea reclamation resources. From 2018 to the first half of this year, 418 projects have been implemented, and the contractual right to 86.78 million ha of land has been confirmed, involving an investment of about 900 billion yuan. In addition, we strengthened the protection, utilization, and management of the coastline, and urged and guided localities to achieve the target of coastline retention rate. We also improved the system for paid use of sea areas and uninhabited islands to use maritime resources more efficiently. 

Third, progress has been made in the protection and restoration of maritime ecology. A maritime ecology early warning and monitoring system was basically established, and a targeted action plan for mangrove forest protection and restoration, as well as a campaign for maritime ecology protection and restoration, were carried out. Around 145 maritime protected areas were established across the country, covering an area of 7.91 million ha. In addition, 143 projects involving the Blue Bay environmental improvement and protection and restoration of coastal zones were launched, renovating and restoring 1,500 kilometers of coastline, 30,000 ha of coastal wetland, and 72 kilometers of ecological seawalls. 

Fourth, innovation in marine science and technology has been accelerated. Our country has 10 maritime satellites in orbit, and a maritime satellite constellation was established. Ocean exploration and transport operations, represented by the Jiaolong manned deep-sea submersible and the Fendouzhe (Striver) deep-sea manned submersible, have achieved a qualitative leap. The Xuelong 2 icebreaker filled in China's blanks in the field of major equipment for polar expeditions and is also our country's first domestically-built polar icebreaker. The continuous running time of domestically-developed megawatt tidal power generators has been leading the world. 

In the next step, we will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; apply the new development philosophy in full, in the right way, and in all fields of endeavor; continuously improve the system for maritime resources protection and exploration; and safeguard China's maritime ecological security to promote the high-quality development of the maritime economy and make new contributions to building a strong maritime country. Thank you.