The coastal city of Qingdao has unveiled its ambition to build a "Blue Silicon Valley" as part of its strategic plan to develop a marine economy.

The Blue Silicon Valley refers to a high-tech center for marine sciences and technology.

Li Qun, Party chief of Qingdao, said the Blue Silicon Valley will help the city achieve its goal of leading the country in marine exploration.

With a planned area of 576 square kilometers, the zone is designed to be a magnet for high-tech companies and institutions in marine industry.

Construction of the zone's core, which has an area of about 443 sq km, will be completed in 2020, said Han Shouxin, director of the administrative committee of the Blue Silicon Valley.

"The core area will become a low-carbon ecological city with international standards," Han said. "We are aiming to attract world-class marine science and technology research and development centers."

The area will also become a center for talent and an incubation base for companies in marine industries, he said.

The Blue Silicon Valley is off to a good start, he said.

Renowned experts from China, Singapore and the United States have been invited to participate in the overall planning of the zone.

The population of the planned area is 700,000, and about 250,000 are science and technology personnel.

The research products of the Blue Silicon Valley are expected to inject new momentum into local economic growth. Like Silicon Valley in the United States, which relies on talent from a large batch of world-class universities like Stanford, there is also strong intellectual support for the Blue Silicon Valley.

The National Marine Science Laboratory, the National Deep Sea Center and the Qingdao branch of Shandong University are all located in the area.

The National Marine Science Laboratory is on track to becoming one of the top seven research institutions in marine sciences in the world. More than 200 marine scientists from China and abroad will conduct research in the laboratory.

Leading marine scientist Guan Huashi, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said he has high hopes for the lab.

"We will build a national innovation platform for marine science and technology," he said. "In 10 years, we hope the laboratory will become a center for the best marine scientists from around the world."

The National Deep Sea Center is the fifth center of its kind in the world.

It is a base for scientists to research deep-sea exploration technology and equipment. It also shoulders the responsibility of exploring deep-sea resources and scientific research. Additionally, it serves as a training base for aquanauts.

With an investment of 6.3 billion yuan ($1 billion), the Qingdao branch of the Shandong University is under construction in the area.

The university will establish majors related to marine sciences and economy to better support the local economy.

Guan said he believes Qingdao will continue to maintain its leading position in the country's marine economic development with support from the Blue Silicon Valley.

"The concept of 'Blue Silicon Valley' will definitely be known around the world," he said. "It is a strategic plan to lead the development of marine economy."

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(China Daily 05/27/2013 page24)