China saw its marine economy reached 4.9 trillion yuan (around 678.67 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six month of this year, a year-on-year increase of 5.6 percent, with a growth rate 0.6 percentage points higher than that of the gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The ministry reported that the transformation and upgrading of traditional marine industries have steadily progressed over the first half of the year. Particularly, among the 18 major ship types worldwide, China's marine shipbuilding sector ranked first in new orders for 14 ship types. Meanwhile, the country's seaborne import and export value jumped 2.1 percent from the last year.
The marine freight volume during the period saw a year-on-year increase of nine percent, while the maritime passenger volume grew 5.4 percent year on year.
At the same time, China's emerging marine industries also showed rapid growth. Breakthroughs have been made in marine engineering equipment for areas such as marine oil and gas exploration and development, marine clean energy, and marine fisheries. For instance, China's pioneering cylindrical floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, Haikui No.1, completed installation in the South China Sea.
"In the first half of the year, the marine engineering equipment manufacturing sector witnessed a rapid recovery. Chinese shipbuilding enterprises have received a number of large contracts. The value of new contracts was three times that of the previous year, and that of outstanding orders grew 11.6 percent year on year. The large-scale utilization of seawater desalination is steadily advancing, helping to improve a diversified water supply system," said Meng Qinglei, deputy director of the ministry's Division of Marine Strategic Planning and Economics.
China also achieved significant results in marine resources development from January to June.
"In the first half of the year, offshore crude oil and natural gas production increased by 5.6 percent and 10.5 percent respectively from a year ago. Offshore wind power generation reached 51.69 billion kilowatt hours, a year-on-year increase of 26.4 percent," said Meng.
During the period, various intelligent application scenarios were embraced by the traditional marine sector to facilitate its transformation and advancement.
"Zhong Nan Yuan 520," for instance, a self-elevating platform (SEP) optimized for high-precision marine surveys, was delivered in May. In addition, an intelligent soft-bodied bionic fish, in the shape of a manta ray and named Wen Yao, was released by Shanghai Ocean University in April.
In June, China also launched its first open marine big-data service platform, dubbed Ocean Cloud, which works to pool national data from the global ocean three-dimensional observation network, facilitate marine information connectivity among departments, and boost global marine information exchange.
China's marine economy grows 5.6 pct in first half of 2024
A global wave of festive celebrations is unfolding as the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, with the 2025 Spring Festival Gala promotional video by China Media Group (CMG) serving as a cultural bridge, connecting people from diverse backgrounds to the richness of Chinese traditions.
The Spring Festival falls on Jan 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
At the new compound of the Mission of China to the AU in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, a gala was held on Monday to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.
Featured Chinese foods and traditional performances from both China and Africa, among others, the event has brought together over 300 participants including the representatives of the AU and the Chinese community in Addis Ababa.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, deputy chairperson for the African Union Commission, said AU-China cooperation has achieved gratifying and fruitful results during the previous years, noting China's 35-year-long tradition of dispatching its foreign minister to Africa on their first overseas trips at the start of a year.
The AU is willing to work with China to make greater contribution to the development and prosperity of the Global South, she said.
"I wish Africa-China relations will achieve greater progress in 2025 and building an all weather Africa-China community with a shared future for the new era will yield fruitful results," Nsanzabaganwa said.
The promotional video for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala was also aired at the event, marking a step forward in cultural exchange while igniting interest in Chinese traditions among attendees.
Meanwhile, cinemas in landmark locations across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa conducted a synchronized screening of the promotional video for the Spring Festival Gala, marking a first for the collaborative initiative.
A South Korean expatriate residing in South Africa expressed that seeing the promotional video of the gala, which represents elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in South African cinemas evoked a warm sense of longing for family reunions within her.
"As a foreigner, I was very impressed by the Chinese Spring Festival Gala last year, I was so happy to see the beautiful performances in South Africa's shopping mall at Nu Metro (Cinema). I'm very looking forward to see the live performance with my husband and baby at this Chinese New Year," she said.
In addition, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia on Sunday held the 2025 Zambia-Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair with a display of Chinese culture in celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival.
Featuring various Chinese cultures, including a kung fu performance, the celebration attracted scores of both Chinese people and local people, officials from the Chinese embassy and the Zambian government, and representatives of Chinese enterprises operating in Zambia.
Chinese food was also on display, while Chinese companies took advantage of the ceremony to showcase their products and services.
During the event, the promotional video for the gala made a stunning appearance, becoming the focal point of the gathering.
In December last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization inscribed "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Promotional video for CMG Spring Festival Gala screened in various countries