Announcement of China Maritime Day 2025

(Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China/ China Transportation News Network) Today (July 11, 2025) is the 21st Maritime Day in my country, and also the implementation day of "World Maritime Day" in my country. In order to further promote the maritime spirit of the new era, inherit the maritime culture, enhance the maritime awareness of the whole people, accelerate the construction of a strong transportation and maritime country, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, with the consent of the member units of the China Maritime Day Activities Organizing Committee, the following announcement is issued:

The sea is vast, and dreams are endless. The ocean is the cradle of life, the source of civilization, and the blue bond connecting the world. The Chinese nation's maritime epic has lasted for thousands of years and is shining brightly. More than 2,000 years ago, the invention of the compass lit up the lights for mankind's feat of crossing the oceans; 620 years ago, Zheng He led a huge fleet to the West seven times, engraving an immortal oriental mark in the history of world navigation. From the sails of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, to the difficult start of the modern national shipping industry, to the vigorous development of modern shipping, the spirit of navigation has always flowed in the blood of the Chinese people.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China's Maritime Day. In recent years, my country's economic and trade exchanges with countries and regions participating in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road have become increasingly close, and exchanges and practical cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, education, sports, science and technology with the ocean as the carrier have been steadily advancing, further enriching the practice of building a community with a shared future for the ocean and demonstrating my country's responsibility and commitment.

As the world's largest goods trading country and the second largest economy, about 95% of my country's import and export trade is completed by sea, and its shipping routes and service networks are spread across major countries and regions in the world. my country has become the country with the largest shipping facilities and the most maritime transported goods in the world. Its port scale, number of crew members, fleet size, shipbuilding output, and marine fishery scale are among the highest in the world. In 2024, the gross marine product will exceed 10 trillion yuan for the first time.

The achievement of these results is inseparable from the important contributions made by the vast number of marine workers to the development of the maritime industry and the marine economy. In this festival for all seafarers, I would like to extend my holiday greetings and high respect to all Chinese seafarers!

At present, the world is undergoing a major change that has not been seen in a century, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth. my country is at a critical stage in the start of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. We must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, fully and accurately implement the new development concept, further deepen reform in an all-round way, expand high-level opening up, promote high-quality development of the shipping industry and the marine economy, and accelerate the construction of a safe, convenient, efficient, green, economical, inclusive, and resilient sustainable transportation system, so as to make new and greater contributions to accelerating the construction of a strong transportation country and a strong marine country.

We must identify the development direction of smart navigation. Cultivate and develop new quality productivity according to local conditions, vigorously promote self-reliance in marine science and technology, and accelerate the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain with navigation. Build an innovative ecosystem with deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application, promote smart ships from research and development to large-scale commercial use, and realize intelligent shipping scheduling, automated port operations, and real-time logistics information. Make every effort to build a world-class fleet and smart port cluster with global competitiveness, deeply tap the value of marine resources, and drive the transformation of the marine economy to high-end, intelligent, and green.

We must light up the development background of green shipping. Actively and steadily promote the implementation of the "dual carbon" goals and fully realize green transformation. Accelerate the research and development and application of new energy ships and low-carbon and environmentally friendly shipping technologies, create green ports and green waterways, and build a full-chain green shipping system. Strengthen marine environmental protection, protect the blue home of mankind, contribute to the sustainable development of the global ocean, and lead the trend of green development of the world's marine economy.

We must lay a solid foundation for the development of maritime culture. We must deeply explore the connotation of maritime culture and promote the new era maritime spirit of "patriotism, dedication, pioneering and innovation, fearlessness of difficulties, truth-seeking and pragmatism, solidarity, tolerance and cooperation". We must continue to strengthen the public's marine awareness, carry out marine sports activities on a regular basis, and integrate blue culture into the national blood. We must strengthen the value recognition of the whole society to strive for strength in the sea and gather a strong spiritual force for the whole society to support the development of the maritime industry.

We should expand the development space of opening up and cooperation. We should adhere to high-level opening up and accelerate the construction of a three-dimensional interconnected network of the Belt and Road Initiative. We should deeply integrate into the global ocean governance system, promote the improvement of institutional rules in maritime and other fields, and promote international mutual recognition of shipping rules and standards. We should work together to build a smooth, efficient and safe international shipping channel, and provide Chinese wisdom and solutions for promoting the integration of marine cultures and enhancing marine welfare.

The theme of the 2025 China Maritime Day event is "Green Navigation, Striving for a New Era". Today, the 2025 China Maritime Day Forum was held in Qionghai City, Hainan Province, and the China Maritime Day event was officially launched. Various forms of Maritime Day activities with rich content are also being carried out across the country, aiming to promote exchanges and cooperation between China and the global maritime industry at a higher level and on a larger scale, and strive to build a global industrial chain and supply chain that is inclusive, diverse and universally beneficial.

We should forge ahead and keep our original aspirations, bravely stand at the forefront and embark on a new journey. Let us work together to shoulder the mission of accelerating the construction of a strong transportation and maritime country, adhere to the connection with the world and the times, strive to promote high-quality development, and make new and greater contributions to the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the joint construction of a community with a shared future for mankind! READ MORE