The State Council has approved a plan to develop the coastal economic belt of Liaoning province, the only access to sea in northeastern China.

The economic belt, covering about 700 sq km, will focus on ship building, petroleum refining, advanced equipment manufacturing, raw materials, high-tech industries and agriculture processing, according to the plan.

The zone will comprise the ports of Dalian, Jinzhou, Yingkou, Huludao and Dandong, which opened navigation services to more than 140 countries and regions.