China faces "harsh" maritime interests challenges: report

BEIJING - China faces many challenges in ensuring its maritime interests with growing uncertainies in its surrounding regions, a report released by the country's ocean watchdog has said.

Released by the State Oceanic Adminsitration, China's Oceanic Development Report 2014 noted various oceanic conflicts with neighboring countries including the Diaoyu Islands issue with Japan and that with the Philippines concerning the South China Sea.

"However, China has made obvious progress in safeguarding its maritime interests, achieving breakthroughs in ensuring its sovereignty in the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands and effectively monitoring the region of the Huangyan Island," it said.

According to the report, the United States' changing strategy in the Asia-Pacific region was the most significant factor affecting China's security situations in its surrouding waters last year, and Japan's growing right-wing forces upgraded the Sino-Japanese standoff, fueling the possibility of oceanic crisis.

Meanwhile, the report called for attention to oceanic terrorism, energy security and natural disasters and other non-traditional security threats.

"China has huge strategic maritime interests, and our national development is increasingly dependent on oceanic resources, space and security," said the report.

In addition, the report stressed low quality and efficiency in China's use of oceanic resources amid weak technological support.

It urged accelerated industrial restructuring and upgrade as the core mission to boost the exploration and use of oceanic resources.