China named 255 geographic features of the South China Sea in 2016 and made progress in construction work on islands and reefs in the region, including an observation project, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
The project has been releasing marine forecast information since January 1, Wang Hong, chief of the State Oceanic Administration, was quoted by Xinhua as saying at an administration conference.
The project aims to protect the marine environment and navigation safety in the sea, according to a Xinhua report from December 31, 2016.
The gross production of China's seas hit 6,800 billion yuan ($981 billion) in 2016, an increase of about 6.8 percent compared to 2015, despite growing pressure on some ocean industries, Wang said.
Wang pointed out that marine service industries took up an increasing ratio of production in 2016 as the country launched a strategic development plan to help its emerging marine industries.
China last year invested about 470 million yuan to support scientific research into ocean environmental protection and deep-ocean technology, according to Wang.
The country last year implemented a red-line system to mark areas of ecological protection that includes over 30 percent of its marine areas and over 35 percent of the mainland's coastline in 11 coastal provinces in a bid to build a comprehensive ocean management system, Wang added.
Wang stressed that there was an enhancement of environment protection last year, especially the supervision of pollution in some key areas including the Bohai Gulf and the Jiaozhou Bay. He said that that the government spent 2.6 billion yuan on subsidies for ecological projects in 18 cities.
The oceanic administration also issued in 2016 a framework for international cooperation in the South China Sea and its surrounding seas, according to the report.
Wang added that 1,746 illegal activities occurred in China's sea areas in 2016.
