Tangshan (CNS) -- Marine development, control, and management will be of strategic importance in China's next economic phase, according to Ren Xingzhou, official at the Development Research Center of the State Council, at a development forum on island exploration, Sunday.
"Island economies will trigger another round of economic boom in the near future," said Ren.
China owns a marine area of almost three million square kilometers, about a third of its land area. Among all 10,100 islands, some 9,600 are without inhabitants.
As the second marine economic belt, the fresh island field will open up an entirely new development zone, as the coastal areas have been almost fully exploited.
"The time for island exploration is coming, in all fields from island tourism and fish production to international industrial projects," said Hu Chaohui, official at the State Oceanic Administration.
Experts at the forum agreed to the motion and confirmed the importance of a scientific and sustainable exploitation.
