TIMELINE

? In March 2011, the 12th Five-Year Plan covered the marine economy for the first time, calling for the upgrading of marine industries and the strengthening of the management and supervision capacity of the ocean.

? In April 2012, the State Oceanic Administration released the functional zones of the country's ocean (2011-20), classifying the ocean into eight functional zones, such as fishing and aquaculture, industrial and urban use, mineral and energy exploration, entertainment, and protection.

? In November 2012, the 18th Party Congress called for China to become a "maritime power", vowing to increase input to safeguard its maritime rights and interests, develop a marine economy and better protect oceanic ecology.

? Since January 2011, the State Council said Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian are the marine economy pilot areas, which will be developed into the leading provinces in the country's marine economy.

? In April this year, the State Oceanic Administration released the national 12th Five-Year Plan on marine affairs, saying that by 2020, the upgrade of marine industries will be finished and offshore pollution will be stopped.

- WANG QIAN

'Blue Silicon Valley' in Qingdao

During the booming development of the marine economy in coastal regions, Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong, is taking a lead with the "Blue Silicon Valley" speeding up construction this year.

Within this year, the Qingdao government planned to start construction of 18 key programs, including the National Deep Sea Center, the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology and the Qingdao campus of Shandong University.

Li Naisheng, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology of Shandong province, said these programs will help Qingdao become an example for the country's coastal cities.

The Blue Silicon Valley is about 576 square kilometers, lying from Laoshan district to Jimo county in the north of Qingdao to facilitate oceanographic research and other high-technology development as well as commercial applications for the marine sector. It includes about 33 major projects with a total investment expected to pass 22 billion yuan ($3.6 billion).

Along with the Blue Silicon Valley, Qingdao also mapped out the West Coast New Economic Zone and the Hongdao Economic Zone to boost the city's marine economy.

According to the Qingdao government, a total of 140 key marine projects will start construction with about 160 billion yuan invested.

Li Qun, Party chief of Qingdao, said the blue economy will lead the city to adjust its development mode and upgrade its industrial structure.

Besides the ambitious target of the city's marine economy, he also emphasized the marine environment protection to "leave the best sustainable resources to our offspring".

Xinhua News Agency reported on June 2 that Shandong will set up a system to strictly control the effect of human activities to curb land reclamation and marine pollution.

In the first quarter this year, the output of marine sectors reached 25 billion yuan in Qingdao, an increase of 13.4 percent year-on-year, according to authorities' statistics.

-- Wang Qian and Xie Chuanjiao