An Ocean of Opportunity

By CT staff reporter

 With a massive maritime area of about 3 million square kilometers and a total coastline of more than 32,000 km, China boasts abundant marine resources. Last April Chinese president Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shandong Province, where he encouraged the region to develop its marine economy by exploring and exploiting the oceanic resources in a scientific way. The instruction initiated the development of a “blue economy” for China. According to statistics, despite the impact of the severe financial crisis in 2008, China’s marine economy still grew by 11 percent year-on-year. This was faster than the nation’s economy as a whole, contributing nearly RMB 2.97 trillion, or 9.87 percent of the country’s GDP.

NPC deputy Mr. Jose Yu Sunsay, chairman of the HKI Group puts forward a plan to set up marine scientific research centers, which he believes will be helpful to the sustainable development of China’s oceanic resources. Such institutions are also important for the cultivation of hi-tech marine industries, and for prompting the advancement of China’s marine scientific research. He points out that now many Chinese coastal regions are striving to establish their own marine scientific research centers for the better utilization of their resources.

He proposes that these marine scientific research centers should collaboratively be established by both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. Hong Kong itself is a coastal metropolis, boasting a solid foundation in marine development research as well as offering various financing channels, which would guarantee the financial support for the research. On top of that, Hong Kong has an abundant skilled labor pool that includes many international experts.