The province of Fujian should promote three marine industries, according to Jin Tao, a Xiamen University professor and expert at the China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT).
The statement came following the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission’s announcement that the province was planning to launch 247 marine projects with a total of 205.56 billion yuan ($33.03 billion).
According to Jin, Fujian has a big maritime province, having 3,752 kilometers of coastline. However, compared with other coastal cities, its marine industries are still underdeveloped. “The coastal areas such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning and Shandong developed their own port industries, while Fujian unsuccessfully developed its petrochemical industry in Quanzhou and Xiamen in 1980s. As a result it has missed its best opportunity.”
Statistics from the Fujian Provincial Department of Ocean and Fisheries showed that Fujian’s gross ocean product (GOP) hit $590 billion in 2013, accounting for 26.5 percent of the total GDP. The overseas fishery took second place nationwide.
Su Shulin, governor of Fujian, pointed out at Fujian’s two sessions that the province was to promote ocean industries and develop the ocean biological medicine industry and overseas fishery. The Fujian government also includes overseas fishery and ocean environmental protection in this year’s working plan.
In Jin’s point of view, it is correct to develop the ocean biological medicine industry and overseas fishery. However, it also meets the challenge of high-investment requirements and fierce competition worldwide. He gave high marks to ocean tourism, leisure fishery and yacht industry.
“The marine industry system includes overseas fishery, the primary industry, new marine industries and shipbuilding, the secondary industry, ocean tourism and the tertiary industry. The province should promote the marine industries as a whole,” Jin said.
The coastal cities of Fujian should develop different types of marine industries depending on its own advantages. Fuzhou and Quanzhou are suitable for developing overseas fisheries. Xiamen’s ocean tourism industry and yacht industry is a bright spot.
The blue economy is a type of economic model of sustainable development that requires protecting the ocean. “It is important to balance GDP and the ocean environment,” said Jin.
By Peng Juan from China Daily Fujian Bureau