The fifth China Marine Economy Expo, the only state-level comprehensive marine expo in China, opened in Zhanjiang on Dec 14, showcasing China's state-of-the-art marine technologies and achievements on a global stage.

Hosted by the State Oceanic Administration and Guangdong provincial government, this year's expo will see more than 3,000 exhibitors in marine energy, equipment, technology, environmental protection, tourism and biomedicine from 63 countries take part.

The exhibition hall is divided into national and industrial pavilions, with the tourism and commodity fairs as well as an interactive experience zone. Organized by the State Oceanic Administration, the national pavilion has a raft of advanced marine equipment on display such as scientific research ships and coast guard vessels.

In collaboration with the Canton Fair, the largest import-export trade fair in China, the industrial pavilion abandons the standard exhibition-only mode by combining it with trade. For the first time, the pavilion has earmarked areas for enterprise to release new products, hold promotional conference and hold discussions with buyers.

On the first day alone, 33 deals worth more than 77 billion yuan ($12 billion) were clinched with buyers from the Europe, America, South Asia and Middle East. The scope of cooperation covered urban management, industrial park construction, financial investment, commercial logistics, culture and education.

According to the organizing committee, the annual marine expo wields growing clout both at home and abroad in recently years. In addition to hundreds of domestic buyers, some 80 international business associations and 30 buying groups have descended on Zhanjiang to tap cooperation potential.