Guangdong focused on ocean ecology

Guangdong province, one of China's ocean economy powerhouses, promised to spare no effort to protect the environment and ecology as it accelerates development.

Qu Jiashu, deputy director of Guangdong's Department of Natural Resources, said the province will promote the construction of demonstration zones and continue to restore and improve the marine ecology in coming years.

"We will also increase and improve Guangdong's mangrove forest areas and introduce more concrete and effective measures to curb ocean pollution to further improve the province's capacity for disaster prevention and reduction," Qu said.

Qu made his remarks in Zhongshan, a Pearl River Delta city, on Monday, which was World Oceans Day.

He said the Guangdong government will give full support to Shenzhen in becoming a global marine center, and build a service base for the development of the South China Sea.

Guangdong will further increase the proportion of marine tertiary industry in the years ahead, he said.

Guangdong which has a coastline of more than 4,100 kilometers, had an ocean industrial output value of more than 2.1 trillion yuan ($300 billion) last year, up 9 percent year-on-year.

The province's ocean economy represented 19.6 percent of its GDP and 23.6 percent of China's ocean economy.

Guangdong's ocean economy has been No 1 in the country for 25 consecutive years.