Recently, a conference on the development of Guangdong's ocean economy was held, aiming to accelerate the high-quality development of the marine industry. The strategy emphasizes integrated land-sea planning, upgrading traditional and emerging industries, and promoting innovation-driven development.
A report on Guangdong's ocean economy outlook for 2025 revealed that in 2024, the province's ocean economy GDP reached 2.00225 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%, accounting for 14.1% of Guangdong's regional GDP and 19.0% of the national ocean economy GDP.
As the leading ocean economy powerhouse in China, Guangdong has maintained the nation's highest total ocean output for 30 consecutive years. In 2024, the province's ocean economy contributed 27.3% to Guangdong's overall economic growth.
Guangdong's traditional primary ocean industries are evolving rapidly. In 2024, the total output of marine products reached 5.083 million tons, up 6.3% year-on-year. Among these, marine aquaculture contributed 3.768 million tons, representing a 5.5% increase due to marine ranch development.
Under the innovation-driven model, traditional dominant industries experienced robust growth last year. The value added by the marine manufacturing sector stood at 501.24 billion yuan, up 4.9% year-on-year. Notably, the province's shipbuilding industry achieved a value added of 9.99 billion yuan, an increase of 22.1%.
Emerging industries are playing an increasingly important role in the ocean economy. In 2024, the added value of Guangdong's emerging ocean industries reached 41.1 billion yuan, up 8.3% year-on-year.
For example, the province's ocean energy industry recorded an added value of 10.01 billion yuan, an increase of 26.7% year-on-year. The offshore wind power projects exceeded a total capacity of 12 million kilowatts, ranking first in China.
The marine service industry is developing rapidly. The marine transportation industry achieved an added value of 112.26 billion yuan, a 12.3% year-on-year increase. The province's ports handled a total cargo throughput of 2.28 billion tons, up 3.1%. Major coastal ports recorded 790 million tons in foreign trade cargo throughput, accounting for 16.3% of China's coastal port total.
The added value of the marine tourism sector reached 319.37 billion yuan, growing 10.0% year-on-year. Coastal cities received 730 million tourist visits, up 12.8%.
Reporter | Dai Bosi
Poster | Lai Meiya
Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He
