Royal Caribbean International announced on Thursday that it will permanently reposition its most luxurious and hottest cruise ship to China, a move that underscores the country's growing importance in the world's cruise market.

The 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest ship, will move its home port to Shanghai in May 2015, the Miami, United States-based company said at a news conference in Shanghai. The ship will sail three- to eight-night voyages year-round from Shanghai to Japan and South Korea, following its maiden season, which will launch in November from the US to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

"People in China have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard like no other ship," said Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.