From October 22 to 24, the 2026 China Marine Economy Expo transformed the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center into a premier showcase for the blue economy. Guided by the theme "Digital and Intelligent Deep Blue, Co-creating the Future," the comprehensive event featured exhibitions, forums, and ancillary events, running concurrently with the Shenzhen International Ocean Week, which extended through October 26. A total of 19 original breakthrough achievements were unveiled to the market. These advanced, hard-core technologies—spanning high-performance new-energy vessels, underwater robots, and marine exploration, communication, navigation, and sensing equipment—served as the cornerstone of the "first release, first trial, first application" initiative, effectively bridging the gap in the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.
Drawn by eight cutting-edge exhibition zones and three thematic pavilions, over 350 industry organizations gathered to showcase their prowess in core sectors such as high-end marine equipment, marine renewable energy, marine biomedicine, deep-sea technology, and blue carbon ecosystems. According to Zhang Zhanhai, Chairman of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, France was designated as the inaugural Guest of Honor. The debut of this Guest of Honor mechanism significantly expanded the event's network of international blue economy partners.
During the expo, the Ministry of Natural Resources authoritatively released the *China Marine Economic Development Report 2026* along with several specialized research outcomes, while a batch of cooperation agreements and letters of intent were signed on-site. Macro-level discussions, such as the 2026 Global Ocean City Forum, ran in parallel with targeted matchmaking events in specialized fields like marine energy. "The forum places a strong emphasis on internationalization and pragmatic cooperation," noted Wang Jianhua, Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Global Ocean City Construction Promotion Association. He added that the event also provided a comprehensive platform to showcase Shenzhen's innovative achievements in marine governance and the blue economy. **[Editor's Note:]** Global marine engineering equipment is currently accelerating its evolution toward deep-ocean and unmanned operations. Cross-border technological collaboration and data sharing have emerged as critical pathways to overcoming bottlenecks in deep-sea exploration, providing the fundamental rationale for the expo to empower marine enterprises in their market expansion.
Shenzhen is currently accelerating the formulation of its 15th Five-Year Plan for building a Global Ocean City. Cao Huan, Deputy Director of the Municipal Marine Development Bureau, outlined the strategic blueprint for this initiative. Looking ahead, the city will prioritize the development of national-level innovation platforms, including the construction of Shenzhen Marine University and the establishment of a Deep-Sea Scientific Research Center, alongside projects focused on the comprehensive development and utilization of marine energy. Spatially, the city plans to build a "Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong" marine science and technology innovation corridor in the west and a "Shenzhen-Huizhou-Shanwei" marine industry development corridor in the east. This east-west coordinated layout will provide robust support for the nation's drive toward self-reliance and strength in marine science and technology.