China publishes new ocean development index

QINGDAO -- China released its annual ocean development index (ODI) report on Friday at an international forum held in the east port city of Qingdao, Shandong Province.

The index figures showed the growth of the country's marine industry during a certain period.

The report showed that the annual average growth rate of China's marine economy from 2011 to 2014 was 3.9 percent. The latest ODI from 2014 stands at 116.6, an increase of 3.7 percent from 2013.

According to the report, China's marine economy and programs are maintaining steady growth.

The index includes six sub-indices, namely marine industry development, people's livelihood related to marine industry, science and technology innovation, resource exploration, marine environment and ecosystem and marine management.

It is aimed at making scientific evaluation of innovation in ocean science, strengthening surveillance over the marine economy and providing a reference to policy makers.

The ODI was jointly released by the Xinhua (Qingdao) International Ocean Information Center and the State Financial Information Center Index Research Institute at the 2015 Qingdao International Ocean Summit Forum.

This year's forum, which has attracted more than 300 officials and representatives from a dozen countries and international organizations,focuses on the role of marine science and technology in building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Southeast Asia in 2013. It is a maritime network designed to link China's coast to Europe through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean in one route, and China's coast to the South Pacific through the South China Sea in another.

China's first national-level lab for marine science and technology was officially launched at the forum.