The 2025 China Marine Economy Expo (CMEE) will take place at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30, its organizers announced at a news briefing today.
The 2025 CMEE, under the theme "Digital and Intelligent Deep Blue, Co-creating the Future," features an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters and comprises three main segments: exhibition, forums, and supporting activities.
An aerial view of Yantian Port. Photo from Dute News
The core highlights of this year's expo can be summarized as the "Four New" aspects:
First, a new market-driven exhibition mechanism has been introduced to energize industrial cooperation. For the first time, this year's expo is fully organized through market-oriented approaches, providing enterprises with full-chain services — from demand matching and resource linking to facilitating partnerships — making market vitality the core driver of the event.
Second, it spotlights the latest deep-sea technologies, covering key areas such as marine intelligent equipment, marine electronic information, marine new energy, and modern marine services.
Third, three "Blue Rankings" will be unveiled for the first time, honoring innovative forces representing the future of China's marine industry, outstanding exhibitors, and individuals and institutions contributing to the development of the blue economy.
Last but not least, it aims to build a new window for international exchange. The expo will host seven core forums covering topics such as the blue economy and global governance. Representatives from academia, industry, and government departments will participate to offer professional content, broad perspectives, and conduct open discussions.
During the expo, the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association will join China Merchants Industry Holdings and Southern University of Science and Technology in signing a five-party agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Ocean Development Bureau and the Qianhai Authority to jointly establish the Shenzhen international marine innovation research institute. The institute aims to become a new-type research institution with international competitiveness, providing intellectual and technological support for Shenzhen's development of deep-sea technology.
A conference on deep-sea technology innovation and industrial development will also be held to foster emerging industrial chains in deep-sea technology. Additionally, the Blue Wave Conference will debut during the expo, creating a platform for global ocean youth, promoting youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship, and cultivating future ocean leaders.
Additionally, Shenzhen International Ocean Week will be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2. Nearly 50 diverse, interactive, and highly engaging marine-themed events will allow citizens to experience Shenzhen's charm as a marine city and enjoy coastal living.
According to data released at the news conference, Shenzhen's gross ocean product has exceeded 500 billion yuan (US$70.2 billion), with 110,000 marine-related market entities established in the city. Shenzhen has gathered over 370 marine-related research teams dedicated to breakthroughs. In 2024, the number of invention patents held by marine-related enterprises increased to over 80,000.
This July, a marine finance alliance was established. The municipal government plans to allocate 300 million yuan in a special fund annually to focus on technological R&D.
Venue: Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, Bao'an District (宝安区深圳国际会展中心)
Dates: Oct. 28-30
Metro: Line 12 or 20 to Shenzhen World Station (国展站), Exit C1/C2
