To build China into a modernized marine power, the country will lay emphasis on the establishment of systems of maritime planning, law making and administration, of which the maritime legislation is of vital importance, according to a senior oceanographic official.
At what was dubbed "the country's most important meeting on ocean resources in a decade," Wang Shuguang, director of the State Oceanographic Bureau, vowed to make the nation more "ocean-conscious," pursue the rapid and sustainable expansion of sectors of the economy concerned with the oceans and work conscientiously to preserve marine ecosystems.
The three-day meeting for directors of oceanographic departments from across the nation ended Wednesday in Beijing.
Wang told the gathering that reinforced efforts are called for in economic planning, law-making and management in connection with the utilization of ocean resources so as to build China into a country with "a developed seafaring economy, sound marine ecology and advanced oceanic science and technology."
Plans for the development of ocean resources and for the protection of the environment should be made in accordance with the country's long-term interests and should be incorporated into the nation's overall economic and social development strategy, said Wang.
The country's marine industries have increased their combined output by 20 percent annually in recent years. Their output jumped from less than 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) in the early 1980s to 327 billion yuan (US$39.4 billion) in 1998, according to statistics from the State Oceanographic Bureau.
Wang said that the country lacks a proper legal system to deal with matters concerning the sea. As such, he said China will increase its efforts to draft laws on marine interests and rights, the exploitation of marine resources and environmental conservation.
In addition to the Law on Territorial Waters and Adjoining Zones and the Regulations on the Management of Exclusive Economic Zones and the Continental Shelf, China will hammer out new regulations regarding the "innocent passage through territorial waters" and rules on the protection of biological and other natural resources in exclusive economic zones and on the continental shelf, according to Wang.
These statutes and regulations will contribute to defending China's rights and interests on the high-seas and give order to the development of marine resource exploitation, he said.
Other regulations that need to be introduced include provisions on the development of uninhabited islands and the prevention of ocean disasters.
(China Daily)
