The Ministry of Natural Resources and the People's Government of Guangdong Province will jointly build the National Marine Comprehensive Testing Field (Zhuhai) in the Wanshan Archipelago, according to an agreement signed on Nov 24.

Guangdong, which enjoys close proximity to Hong Kong, Macao, and the South China Sea, is a powerful province in developing marine economy. It has recorded rapid development in the emerging industries of marine engineering equipment, offshore wind power generation, and marine electronic information.

Zhuhai's Wanshan Archipelago enjoys outstanding geographic and marine resource advantages [File photo by Zeng Yao / Zhuhai Daily]

The province has now basically formulated a complete modern marine industrial system. Its marine production value in 2021 reached 1.99 trillion yuan ($277.94 billion), ranking first in China for 27 consecutive years.

Zhuhai's Wanshan Archipelago enjoys outstanding geographic and marine resource advantages. A Wanshan Wave Energy Testing Field has already been built to carry out several wave energy demonstration projects. 

The National Marine Comprehensive Testing Field (Zhuhai) will be built on the basis of the Wanshan Wave Energy Testing Field, striving to meet continuous surging demands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's marine industrial development.

The field will integrate marine sci-tech innovative resources in the Greater Bay Area to promote the transformation of sci-tech outcomes, contributing to the enhancement of the core competitiveness of regional strategic emerging industries like marine equipment and new energy. 

The field is expected to be built into a world-leading one with complete functions, serving as a "Guangdong sample" for China's high-quality marine industrial development.