An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 11, 2025 shows fishermen at work aboard their boats in a marine pasture in Rongcheng, east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Yang Zhili/Xinhua)

China's marine economy posed steady growth in the first three quarters of 2025, driven by both traditional and emerging industries, state broadcaster CCTV News reported on Monday, citing data from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

According to preliminary calculations, China's gross ocean product (GOP) grew 5.6 percent year-on-year to reach 7.9 trillion yuan ($1.11 trillion) in the first nine months.

During the period, China's offshore crude oil and natural gas production rose by 3.0 percent and 17.7 percent year-on-year, respectively, while the new grid-connected capacity for offshore wind power rose by 42.1 percent year-on-year, data from the ministry showed. 

And, the national output of marine aquatic products rose by 4.8 percent year-on-year.

In the shipbuilding sector, new orders received, completed orders, and order backlogs for marine vessels continued to rank among the top globally. The marine transportation industry maintained steady growth, with seaborne cargo volume increasing by 5.7 percent year-on-year and cargo turnover grew by 6.2 percent year-on-year.

The total import and export value of maritime trade grew by 1.7 percent year-on-year, with exports rising by 6.5 percent year-on-year. The marine tourism sector continued its recovery, with added value increasing by 7 percent year-on-year. Cruise tourism saw notable growth, with Chinese cruise ports welcoming 2.05 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 28 percent.

The marine-related finance market also delivered a positive performance, with a total of 18 marine-related companies completing IPO listings, raising a total of 26 billion yuan, accounting for 33.7 percent of the total financing size of all IPOs during the period.

Global Times