China's marine economy continued to make progress in high-quality development in 2025, with a key development index rising 2.2 percent year-on-year to 128.8, according to the 2026 China Ocean Economic Development Index released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Compiled by the National Marine Data and Information Service, the index uses 2015 as the base year and 100 as the base value. It provides a quantitative assessment of the country's marine economy across areas including development scale and performance, structural optimization and upgrading, resource conservation and utilization, foreign economic activity and trade, and public well-being.

China's gross ocean product reached 11 trillion yuan ($1.6 trillion) in 2025, up 5.5 percent from the previous year. The subindex for development scale and performance rose 1.7 percent to 128.1, while the number of marine economic entities in key monitored industries increased 6.2 percent, pointing to stronger market vitality.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY