China's seas contributed 2.09 trillion yuan (272 billion U.S. dollars), or 10.01 percent, of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to a report on China's marine economy in 2006.

The report, issued by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), said last year's output value of marine industries, including fishing, transport, oil and gas exploitation, tourism and shipbuilding, rose 13.97 percent year on year, and its growth rate was 3.3 percentage points higher than that of the country's economy.

The sector grew steadily, with the output value of shipbuilding, oil and natural gas exploitation and coastal tourism increasing by more than 17 percent, the report said.

It employed 29.6 million people, 1.8 million more than 2005, according to the report.

The output value of the marine industries increased at an annual rate of 18 percent from 930 billion yuan in 2001 to 1.8 trillion yuan in 2005, the report said.

China has more than four million square kilometers of sea areas, with more than 1,400 harbors and 210,000 cargo ships.