Sustainable Port Development Based on the Blue Economy Framework in China: The Example of Qingdao Port

Abstract

This research is focusing on China's new concept of "blue economy" and the integration of it into the country's sustainable development efforts. Under the Blue Economy framework, Chinese ocean-based economic development has experienced an obvious acceleration over the last three decades, which has increased sustainable development capabilities. Meanwhile, national plans are being implemented in order to promote future oceanic sustainable development. The Qingdao Port is the iconic example of the Blue Economy practices resulting from the Chinese oceanic development strategy and it has indeed been quite successful in its development until now since the introduction of the Blue Economic Zone and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) programmes. Moreover, the sustainable experience of the Qingdao port shows an optional reference of the blue economic plan to other ports expecting an optimal ocean development. Finally, some challenges and opportunities will be discussed for further research and practical improvements.

Unión Europea y la economía azul

“…La economía azul se refiere, por tanto, a la gestión sostenible de los recursos oceánicos para procurar los medios de subsistencia, una distribución más equitativa de los beneficios y la resiliencia de los ecosistemas frente al cambio climático, prácticas pesqueras destructivas y presiones de fuentes externas al sector pesquero (Keen et al, 2018). En lo que respecta a su relación con la sostenibilidad, Colaboraciones la economía azul puede ser vista como un nuevo marco o sistema de herramientas basado en el concepto de desarrollo sostenible (Zhang y Ravesteijn, 2019).…”

“…La literatura reciente sobre la economía azul se ha centrado, en gran medida, en la falta de claridad y consistencia en torno a las muchas interpretaciones diferentes del término (Silver et al, 2015;Winder y Le Heron, 2017;Voyer et al, 2018), así como las implicaciones de esta incoherencia para la gobernanza de los océanos (Hadjimichael, 2018). Puede concluirse que no existe, por lo tanto, una definición unificada de economía azul (Keen et al, 2018) por tratarse de un concepto que aún no se ha puesto en práctica por completo (Zhang y Ravesteijn, 2019).…”

Blue Economy and Blue Finance: Toward Sustainable Development and Ocean Governance

“…In 2011, marine economic development first appeared in the PRC's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011 as a top-level strategy. Since then, the PRC's government has released plans and documents to stress the sustainability of the marine economy (Zhang and Ravesteijn 2019). In addition, the 12th Five-Year Plan officially approved the establishment of the SP-BEZ.…”

Achieving Blue Economy goals by implementing digital technologies in the maritime transport sector

“…As already mentioned, seaports may be defined as "hubs for sustainable Blue Economy", or dynamic nodes for Blue Economy clusters and blue innovation ecosystems (European Commission, 2020a). According to (Zhang & Ravesteijn, 2019), within the Blue Economy context, sustainable port development is important as ports represent the link between the sea or river with inland cities and territories. Successful sustainable port development may enable the balance of economic growth, ecological needs, and social progress (Zhang & Ravesteijn, 2019).…”

“…According to (Zhang & Ravesteijn, 2019), within the Blue Economy context, sustainable port development is important as ports represent the link between the sea or river with inland cities and territories. Successful sustainable port development may enable the balance of economic growth, ecological needs, and social progress (Zhang & Ravesteijn, 2019). As trade and cargo grow, seaports around the world are looking for ways to manage resources sustainably and cost-effectively, and one of the solutions is the implementation of digital technologies (GreenPort, 2016).…”