The 2017 China Marine Economy Expo, scheduled to be held in Zhanjiang from Dec 14 to 17, will be bigger and better than ever this year, according to a press conference on Oct 9.

Hosted by the State Oceanic Administration and Guangdong provincial government, it is the only national comprehensive marine economy expo in China.

In collaboration with Canton Fair, this year's expo will set up an industry pavilion to seek cooperation and exchanges with world-leading marine enterprises. To date, buyers from Europe, America, South Asia and the Middle East have already reached the purchase intent, while marine enterprises from Norway and France have expressed their desire to attend.

Backed by China Merchants Group and the army, a characteristic offshore exhibition will be launched at sea for the first time with advanced marine equipment such as warships and  vessels put on display.

As one of the organizers, the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province will invite coastal travel agencies to the expo. An Ocean Week will also be launched to spice up the event, providing visitors with all kinds of tourism and cultural activities.

Setting sights on the countries with developed marine economies in Europe, Latin America and Oceania, Zhanjiang will take advantage of the overseas resources of the Canton Fair and invite exhibitors from sister cities. An independent pavilion will be dedicated to overseas chambers of commerce.

Another highlight of the expo will be in its contribution to the military-civilian integration. In addition to the military-civilian integration pavilion, a forum and interactive activities will be held such as touring a warship and visiting the military history exhibition hall.

Exhibitors from 10 countries such as the UK, France, Norway, Holland, Thailand, USA and Canada are expected to descend on the coastal Guangdong province city for the expo. Alongside will be more than 30 leading domestic enterprises and 600 emerging enterprises in China.