National Development and Reform Commission: In 2025, China's gross ocean product exceeded 11 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.9% of GDP.

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources released the "China Marine Economy Development Report 2026," systematically summarizing the achievements of China's marine economy development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The report shows that in 2025, China's gross ocean product exceeded 11 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.9% of GDP. The marine economy has become an important growth pole of the national economy, and the foundation for building a maritime power is thicker and more solid. The construction of a modern marine industrial system is accelerating. The international competitiveness of marine industries such as ship and ocean engineering equipment, marine transportation, and marine fisheries continues to strengthen. The momentum of marine emerging industries is continuously accumulating. The scale of grid-connected offshore wind power installations and newly added installations remain the world's largest. The daily production capacity of seawater desalination projects exceeds 3 million tons. Independently developed marine drug categories account for 28% of the global total. High-end shipping services such as maritime ad hoc arbitration and international ship registration have achieved practical results. Marine scientific and technological innovation is accelerating. The tiered layout of marine laboratories, including national laboratories, national key laboratories, and provincial and ministerial key laboratories, continues to be optimized. The construction of national comprehensive marine test sites in Weihai, Zhoushan, Zhuhai, and Sanya is progressing in an orderly manner. The manned submersibles "Jiaolong" and "Fendouzhe" jointly completed China's first manned deep dive in the Arctic ice zone. The independently developed "Mazu" series marine forecast models have been put into operational application. The construction of marine disciplines and specialties and the cultivation of marine talent continue to strengthen. The economical and intensive use of marine resources is steadily advancing. The system for marine resource development and protection continues to improve. The national retention rate of natural continental coastline remains stable at above 35%. The development, protection, and management of islands continue to be improved. Thirty-three beautiful and harmonious islands demonstrating ecological beauty, living beauty, and production beauty have been created. Reclamation control is strictly enforced. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the national approved area for sea and island use was 13,200 square kilometers. The construction of marine ecological civilization continues to strengthen. The marine environment quality has improved significantly. Marine ecological protection continues to improve. Marine ecological protection red lines covering 151,000 square kilometers have been delineated. A total of 352 marine-related nature reserves have been established. The Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve has been newly established and management measures have been issued. Ecological survey reports on coral reefs of islands and reefs such as Tiexian Jiao, Niue Jiao, and Huangyan Dao have been released. The expansion of the World Natural Heritage site of China's Yellow (Bohai) Sea migratory bird habitats has been promoted. The first national marine disaster risk census has been completed. International cooperation in the marine field continues to expand. Agreements on marine cooperation have been signed with more than 50 countries and international organizations. China has constructively participated in the negotiation process of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction and promoted its signing and ratification, becoming one of the first contracting parties. China has actively participated in the United Nations "Ocean Decade" action and established the "Ocean Decade" China Committee. This article is excerpted from the National Development and Reform Commission; edited by GMTEight: Chen Siyu.