Marine economy key to port city's success

What are the first things that come to mind when a Chinese person is asked about Zhanjiang?

One might mention its famed seafood or that it was one of first 14 Chinese cities opened to foreign investment in 1984.

But perhaps it is best known as the first major port designed and built by the Chinese after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

"It opened in 1956, with a 10,000-ton capacity," said Zhang Yi, president of the Zhanjiang Port Group.

"They even filmed a 25-minute documentary when the first international boat, one from Poland, arrived after it had just opened."

Nearly seven decades later, the Port of Zhanjiang came a long way, with its total throughput reaching 171 million tons last year. More than 60 percent of the port's business relies on international trade, Zhang said.

Zhang has set his sights higher, expressing confidence that annual throughput can surpass 300 million tons by the end of 2013.

The port will get a further boost when the Sino-Kuwaiti petrochemical complex and the iron and steel project of Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co both go into operation in 2015.

The petrochemical complex is designed to process 15 million tons of crude oil, while the iron and steel project is expected to produce 10 million tons of high-end steel products every year, bringing more bulk business to the port.

Zhang's confidence also derives from the city's renewed commitment to developing its maritime economy.

"It is significantly good news to us," he said.

At a time when the impact of weak international trade weighs heavily on Zhanjiang, Zhang said he hopes to turn the port into "a major distribution center" like the ports in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

"We aim to be one of the top 10 ports in China by 2016," he said.

With 20,000 square kilometers of sea area and more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline, Zhanjiang is the third-largest maritime economy in Guangdong province.

It has traditionally served as an important trading center for aquatic products as well as a base for processing and exporting to the Asia-Pacific region.

At a time when the whole country is attaching unprecedented importance to the sea, Zhanjiang is also giving new support not just to fishing, but also for a wider range of marine-related sectors.

When asked to characterize Zhanjiang in a few words, Wang Zhongbing, the city's mayor, used "blue sky and sea", "bay city", and "beach".

"Zhanjiang will make the most of the sea, make big efforts to develop port industry, maritime transport, modern fisheries, etc, to enhance its maritime competitiveness," Wang said days before his visit to Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

"We welcome investors from home and abroad into Zhanjiang's maritime economy," he added.

In addition, the city will further tap the potential the sea has to offer in terms of tourism, marine industries, logistics, offshore wind power and marine biopharmaceuticals to form a "blue industrial cluster".

The city government has also identified oceanic tourism as an important part of its blue economy.

Featuring the bay area and islands of Techeng, Nansan, Donghai, Naozhou and Nanping, the oceanic tourism demonstration area is intended to turn the city into a top destination for holidays and winter vacations.

The efforts will find important support from the plan on the comprehensive experimental zones for developing marine economy in Guangdong province, which was approved by the State Council last year.

The sea-related output of Zhanjiang stood at 116.2 billion yuan in 2012, surging 12.7 percent compared to the year before, according to the city's oceanic and fishery administration.

The city's GDP last year stood at 190.1 billion yuan.

According to the oceanic and fishery administration, the city aims to become a strong maritime city by 2015, with its total sea-related output set to reach 180 billion yuan ($29.3 billion).

The maritime economy will be the strongest growth point of the city, according to the administration.