Zhanjiang held a launching ceremony at the China Marine Economy Development Summit on Nov 24 to announce the beginning of its initiative to build a demonstration city for innovative marine economy development.

The China Marine Economy Development Summit is held in Zhanjiang from Nov 24 to 25 during the China Marine Economy Expo 2016. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

The South China coastal city of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province is among the first number of demonstration cities to develop the marine economy in accordance with the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), together with another seven cities such as Nantong in Jiangsu province, and Xiamen in Fujian. The results were approved by China's Finance Ministry and State Oceanic Administration this October.

It is considered an acknowledgement of Zhanjiang's unwavering efforts in the development of marine equipment and processing aquatic products, building innovation bases, such as South Sea Valley, as well as trans-regional cooperation.

Zhanjiang holds a launching ceremony to mark the beginning of its building of a demonstration city for innovative marine economy development on Nov 24. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

The launching ceremony is part of the China Marine Economy Development Summit, with some 900 officials, scholars and business delegates taking part.

Co-sponsored by the preparatory committee of CMEE and the Pacific Society of China (an academic community engaging in Pacific study and research), the summit is themed on "innovation, green economy, openness and cooperation" and is comprised of various forums on innovative marine developments.

Professor Chen Yu, dean of the World New Economics Research Institute, delivers a speech at the summit. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

Topics discussed included marine finance, global and domestic macro-economic situations, and supply-side reform on marine economy.

The summit took place as part of the China Marine Economy Expo (CMEE) 2016, China's only national-level economic and trade exhibition, being held from Nov 24 to 27.