Regional Gaps, Spatial Distribution Patterns, and Evolutionary Trends of Marine New Quality Productivity in China

By analyzing a comprehensive dataset of marine economic activity in China’s 11 coastal provincial administrative regions from 2006 to 2021, we constructed productivity indices to identify regional differences, spatial distribution patterns, and evolutionary trends at the national level, with particular focus on the three major maritime economic circles. The results indicate that China’s marine economy is generally growing, and development of marine new quality productivity (MNQP) in the eastern maritime economic circle is better than that in the northern and southern maritime economic circles. This regional gap in coastal areas at low, high, and higher levels gradually increases, while the regional gap decreases in coastal areas at lower levels. The gaps in the degree of openness to the outside world (X4) and in the level of financial development (X7) are the main factors contributing to regional differences in China’s marine new quality productivity. The overall center of gravity of marine new quality productivity is in the south, indicating the rapid growth momentum of the southern maritime economic circle; China’s marine new quality productivity shows a northeast–southwest distribution pattern; and the degree of agglomeration of China’s marine new quality productivity has increased. In the process of moving towards balanced and coordinated regional development of China’s marine industry, there are both opportunities and challenges. Breaking the self-locking tendencies of the lower-level state and preventing its downgrading are the biggest challenges for achieving this goal. However, China’s marine new quality productivity will be stabilized in states at high and higher levels.