China's maritime economy is expected to generate nearly 6.5 trillion yuan ($988.79 billion) in 2015, about 7 percent more than 2014, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) has announced. [Photo / IC]

BEIJING - China's maritime economy is expected to generate nearly 6.5 trillion yuan ($988.79 billion) in 2015, about 7 percent more than 2014, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) announced on Friday.

The maritime economy has become an important boost to the national economy, with its total production value growing by an average 8.1 percent annually from 2011 to 2015, said SOA director Wang Hong at a national meeting on marine work.

The total production value last year is expected to account for 9.6 percent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), according to the SOA estimation.

The industry employed more than 35 million people and maritime science and technology contributed to 60 percent of the maritime economy, the SOA figures show.

To speed up maritime economic development, the government plans to coordinate the construction of high-tech and innovation industrial bases and demonstration zones, and foster emerging industries including marine biomedicine, high-end marine facilities and sea water desalination this year, Wang said.

The SOA will also push to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies concerning maritime industries and advance industrial upgrades in the next five years, he said.

Looking to further the rule of law, the country will promote legislation in the fields of resource exploration in deep seafloor areas, protection of ocean oil and gas pipelines, and the management on Antarctic activities, according to Wang.