Maritime show heralds progress

China Marine Economy Expo 2016 celebrates industry achievements and potential

Data on the sustainability of China's maritime economy will be announced during the China Marine Economy Expo 2016 opening on Thursday in Zhanjiang, a port city in Guangdong province, according to the event's organizers.

With more than 2,700 corporate participants from 52 countries, organizers said the expo is committed to displaying the latest developments and innovations in the maritime industries, as well as the related fishery, technology, energy, environmental protection, engineering, pharmaceuticals, tourism and culture sectors.

Domestic companies in the maritime sector will host fundraising roadshows to secure investment during the four-day expo, said the organizing committee.

Thailand, the foreign cohost of the expo, has sent around 50 companies and associations to Zhanjiang, with a Thai investment promotional event due to be staged.

The expo, held annually in Zhanjiang, is seen as one of the major events in the country's maritime sector, said the organizers.

This year marks the third time that the expo has been organized by the Zhanjiang city government, the State Oceanic Administration and the Guangdong provincial government.

Various seminars will be organized during the event, covering maritime economy, oceanic engineering, environmental protection, innovation, modern fisheries, and technological and financial services.

About 300 exhibits, models and video clips on China's cutting-edge maritime technologies are expected to draw significant visitor attention at the expo, including: the manned submersible Jiaolong; the unmanned autonomous underwater vehicle Qianlong; the icebreaking research vessel Xuelong; Rainbow Fish, another manned submersible; a 10,000-metric-ton coast guard vessel; and the helicopter Xueying.

Marine-related creative industries, such as 3-D printing, unmanned aerial vehicles and intelligent cars will also be on display.

Astronauts, deep sea divers and scientists engaged in Antarctic research will work with students at schools in Zhanjiang to promote awareness of their fields.

In addition, an array of domestic and foreign tourism companies and airlines will also display their services in the tourism and culture zone of the expo.

The national maritime industry innovation and entrepreneurship contest will hold the final round of its second session at the expo. The Zhanjiang Bureau of Science and Technology organized the contest, with regional contests already held in Zhanjiang, Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Big data

Visitors to the expo will be able to learn about how heat maps and data on sea route capacities are analyzed and used to predict future cargo volumes.

Guangdong Yueshu Big Data will screen videos on its platforms covering maritime transportation, public services, cross-border e-commerce, oceanic tourism, aquatic products, maritime technology commercialization and oceanic data transaction, according to the expo's organizers.

A subsidiary of State-owned Guangdong Guangyue Asset Management Co Ltd, Guangyue Big Data was established in 2015 to promote Internet Plus-related government data publishing against the backdrop of the nation's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

As a part of Zhanjiang's plan to build a smart city, the application of ocean data will facilitate the upgrade of the traditional maritime economy and the development of an electronics-focused intelligent ocean industry.

City factbox

Sea area: 20,000 sq km

Coastline: 2,043.5 km

Population in 2015: 7.24 million

Port throughput in 2015: 220.36 million tons

liwenfang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/24/2016 page12)