The three national pilot provinces for the development of China's marine economy — Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shandong — have been serving as the "three engines" driving the diversified development of China's marine economy.

China's marine economic landscape starts with the Liaoning Coastal Economic Zone in the north, passes a couple of provinces and municipalities, such as Tianjin, Shanghai and Fujian, and extends to the Hainan international tourism island, forming an entire blue economic stripe along coastal regions.

"Three engines" seek differential development

Song Junji, vice director of the Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, said, "Island-rich Zhejiang province is building an international logistics island at Zhoushan Archipelago New Area that will play core roles in developing the province's marine economy, while Shandong is known for a large number of bays that can be used to develop aquatic farming, manufacturing and tourism sectors, becoming major areas for the development of its marine economy."

According to the development plan approved by the State Council, the strategic orientation of the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone is aimed at many areas, including the modern marine industrial agglomeration area and core marine technological education area.

Guangdong Province will establish a new comprehensive ocean development layout of "three zones, three circles and three belts." The director of the Party Committee Office of the Administration of Ocean and Fisheries of Guangdong Province Tang Yahu said that it means the whole Guangdong Province will strengthen the regional cooperation and development by relying on the marine economy.

Integrating into the world in an open economic form

Data show that the effect of the marine economy bringing along other industries is gradually showing. According to the data released by the State Oceanic Administration of China, China's Gross Ocean Product (GOP) had exceeded 3.8 trillion yuan in 2010, almost twice as much as that of the beginning of the 11th Five-Year Plan and account for about 10 percent of the GDP.

Regarding employment, the people employed in the marine economy had reached 33.5 million in the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, of whom 5.7 million were newly employed. It means that 10 percent of the people in coastal areas of China were marine workers.

"China's marine economy is changing from a mode focused on quantity into benefit-intensive one that focuses on quality. The diversified ocean development modes of different regions have important significance for accelerating the transition of China's economic development mode and effectively expanding China's economic development space. The coastal radiation effect and coastal cooperation brought by the marine economy also reflect that China is integrating into the world in an open economic form," said Fan Hengshan, director general of the Department of Regional Economy under the National Development and Reform Commission of China.