Shenzhen sets sights on building a global marine center

Shenzhen’s municipal government has proposed an ambitious goal to become a global marine centre by 2035, The Paper reported.

According to the proposal, by 2020, Shenzhen’s marine economy will achieve high-quality growth; scientific and technological innovation capabilities will be significantly improved; the ecological environment will have improved steadily; and the international competitiveness of the ocean will be significantly enhanced, laying a solid foundation for the construction of a global marine center.

By 2035, the government will focus on enhancing the city’s influence in the marine sector of the Asia-Pacific region. And by the middle of the century, Shenzhen is expected to become a pioneer in demonstrating the comprehensive strength and global influence of the ocean.

The proposal also put forward a number of measures to encourage the development of marine enterprises, including vigorously developing local marine enterprises, attracting well-known marine enterprises to set up their headquarters in the city, encouraging local enterprises to extend their portfolio into the marine area and supporting the development of small and medium-sized marine companies.

In 2017, the total value of marine production in Shenzhen was 166.6 billion yuan (US$24.01 billion). The city also has great advantages in the development of marine transportation, coastal tourism and the marine oil and gas industry.