More than 400 domestic and overseas companies are taking part in the second China (Dalian) International Marine Trade Expo, which opened on Friday in the northeastern port city of Dalian, Liaoning province.

The three-day event features 10 exhibition zones covering areas including marine ranching, deep-sea aquaculture and marine equipment. An international section has attracted enterprises from Russia, Japan, South Korea and other countries.

Zhu Beiwei of the Chinese Academy of Engineering described the expo as "an excellent platform for exchange and collaboration". She said her team had long worked on basic and applied research into advanced processing of agricultural and aquatic products, overcoming a number of core technological challenges in marine food processing.

"I look forward to in-depth discussions on the development path of the marine food industry, strengthening industry-university-research cooperation, and jointly promoting the prosperity of this sector," said Zhu.

A series of supporting events will be held during the expo, including forums on modern marine ranching development, high-quality development of the Northeast Asian international cruise industry, and roadshows for small and medium-sized enterprises seeking investment and financing.

According to organizers, the expo aims to provide a comprehensive industrial service platform to strengthen the marine industry chain, promote innovation-driven growth and facilitate trade, investment and cooperation.

The expo also highlights the pivotal role of Dalian, a city with the longest coastline in China and one of the world's most advanced ports, in the country's marine economy.

In recent years, the northeastern port city has been committed to advancing marine urbanization objectives and implementing a cohesive land-sea development strategy.