Seas and oceans have provided major channels for international intercourse and offer a "treasure house" of strategic resources for humanity's sustainable development. In a bid either to advance development or to safeguard the national security, China is vested with immense strategic interests for its maritime space.
The ocean awareness represents a nation's strategic awareness, and every nation on earth has its own ocean awareness. In its early stage of economic development, the United States took oceans for its "water moats" and, so by the means to rein in oceans, it attempted to seek global hegemony. Later, it gradually shaped the awareness of its ocean territory after the mid 20th century. Meanwhile, Britain cited oceans as a fortune center, a trade thoroughfare, a resource development center and a defense frontier or forward pisition.
China is an indisputable major land-ocean power. With a total land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, it is the third largest country in the world. The Chinese mainland coastline is 18,000 km and that of the islands 14,000 km. Moreover, there are 6,536 islands and island groups in its 3 million sq km of sea territory. For a fairly long historical period, however, a large number of Chinese have been relatively weak with their ocean awareness.
In order to revitalize the Chinese nation, it is imperative to give heed of its ocean and manage it well, so as to prosper and develop China and make it powerful with a better use of seas and oceans.
Having the entire world in view and following China's increasing in-depth involvement in economic globalization and an integrity of regional economy, oceans strike a chord in the blood line of Chinese economy with a profound impact on the country's security and social stability. We should not only do a good job in managing, developing and maintaining China's 3 million sq km of ocean territory, but involve ourselves with an initiative in the moves to safeguard the rights of open seas that roughly make up about half the area of global surface.
Seized with a sustained heat in the ocean development at home, there has been a rise in the number of trades, departments, units and individuals to seek the ocean-related business or careers. With a deteriorating ocean bio-environment, the task ahead is very arduous for making an overall plan on the development and utilization of seas and oceans and for the protection of ocean bio-environment.
Consequently, China should, in the new era of the new century, go all out to foster in society at large the awareness of making itself strong with the aid of oceans, the awareness of making the sustainable use of seas and oceans, the awareness to raise maritime rights and interest and the security awareness.
To heighten the people's ocean awareness, it is imperative to develop and prosper the ocean culture, whereas the ocean awareness constitutes its "soul". The ocean development and utilization effort traced back to the pre-Qin periods (usually the String and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770-221 BC). In the ancient maritime trade, there was a renowned "maritime silk route" during the imperial Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, which had expanded the extension of trade routes to the South China Sea and the rim of the Indian Ocean.
As for the ancient China's outward contact and external relations, navigator Zheng He of the imperial Ming dynasty (1368-1644) led massive fleets in making as many as seven journeys to more than 30 Asian and African countries with their farthest destination reaching the east coast of the African continent. Following the Ming dynasty, however, the development of China's ocean culture got impaired owing to the closed-door policy imposed by ensuing feudal rulers and the resultant failing national strength.
The Ocean culture in China has opened a new chapter with marked progress made since the establishment of new China in 1949 and particularly with the launch of the policy of opening to the outside world three decades ago. In early 1990s, the nation conducted relatively complete ocean culture researches whose development, however, had started late with an inadequate funding and limited, scattered strength, was restricted to a certain extent. At the same time, people in general were not quite aware with the ocean culture. So, it is essential to institute an agency to unify planning, offer guidance and make co-ordination on major maritime issues, while raising viable measures and mapping out vital tasks involving the overall situation, so that the people's awareness about ocean will be raised substantially and the ocean culture be thriving and prosperous.
By People's Daily Online and its author is Sun Zhihui, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and concurrently the director-general of the State Oceanic AdministrationAuthor：China Others Time：2008-05-24 From：china daily
