China's gross ocean product totaled 2.6 trillion yuan (over 380 billion US dollars) in the first quarter of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 5.4 percent, demonstrating a good start, according to preliminary estimates.
Meng Qinglei, deputy head of the Department of Marine Strategy Planning and Economy at the Ministry of Natural Resources, said the sector has continued to play a key role in supporting the country's economic growth.
"In the first quarter, China's marine economy maintained strong momentum, continuing to act as a growth engine and contributing 0.4 percentage points to the overall economic growth," Meng said.
Traditional marine industries have continued to strengthen their foundations, with steady progress made in upgrading and transformation.
In the January to March period, the shipbuilding sector maintained stable growth momentum. China's new shipbuilding orders, completed ship volume and order backlog all rose sharply, increasing 116.7 percent, 33.3 percent and 30.0 percent year on year, respectively. The country retained the world's largest share of the global shipbuilding market.
A number of high-end, green vessels were rolled out or delivered, including China's second domestically built large cruise ship Aida Huacheng, a 174,000-cubic-metre liquefied natural gas carrier Green Energy Wind, and the world's first 114,000-tonne wind-assisted LNG dual-fuel tanker SPA, highlighting the country's technological strength and efficiency in shipbuilding.
Marine transportation also posted steady growth in the first quarter, with the country's marine cargo volume and cargo turnover ring 6.8 percent and 9.4 percent year on year, respectively.
meanwhile, marine tourism saw a strong start in the same period, with passenger volume and passenger turnover increasing 6.3 percent and 11.6 percent from a year earlier, respectively.
China's marine economy logs 5.4 pct growth in Q1
