The eastern coastal hub of Qingdao, Shandong province has been ramping up efforts to become a marine powerhouse.

During a tour to the West Coast New Area, Zhao Haozhi, mayor of Qingdao, stressed that the marine economy has a boundless future and that its oceans are strategically important to high-quality development.

Qingdao West Coast New Area [Photo/IC]

Zhao visited enterprises, industrial parks, universities and research institutes related to the marine economy in the West Coast New Area.

He pointed out that key areas such as marine engineering equipment, marine biomedicine and new marine materials should be focused on building first-class marine industrial clusters, while more efforts should be made in the construction of world-class sea ports and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment.

"We should continue to give strong support to the development of the College of Oceanology of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ocean University of China, as well as other universities and research institutes in Qingdao, and facilitate innovation in marine science and technology," he said.

He added that a system of collaborative innovation between government, enterprises, universities and research institutes should be built, while the policy support system should be improved to advance the speed and efficiency of transforming marine theoretical research into practical and engineering applications.