XIAMEN, Oct. 9(Xinhuanet)-- Xiamen City in Fujian Province has made great progress in developing the marine economy, with the value added of the marine industry accounting for 20 percent of its gross domestic product, the highest among all coastal cities of the country, an official said Sunday.

Tapping the abundant resources of the sea is a key part of Xiamen's economic development, said Mayor Zhang Changping at an international forum of coastal cities.

Currently, Xiamen has formed a marine economic system mainly boosting the development of ports, tourism and related high technologies.

The Xiamen port's annual container handling capacity rises by 30 percent, ranking 26th in the world.

With the completion of some railways linking Xiamen to nearby cities in three to five years, it will serve as a convenient access to the sea for Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan and other provinces, said the mayor.

According to Zhang, the sensible way of making the most of the sea is to protect and harness the sea waters.

He said the city has set up maritime affairs offices and the surveillance of fishery and environmental protection. All culturing facilities on the sea have been demolished and 500 million yuan(62 million US dollars) have been invested to preventand control pollution.

Xiamen is conferred as a model in pollution control in East Asia by the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Fund and the International Maritime Organization.

Xiamen, as a scenic port city, is called the"garden on the sea". Its economy has increased at an annual rate of over 18 percent in the last 20 years. According to concerned organizationsof the United Nations, Xiamen is listed one of the most energetic and promising cities in China. Enditem