Shipbuilders eye growth in clients

Countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative have become the main clients for China's shipbuilding industry this year. The former are seeking to harness the potential of oceans to boost their economic growth, officials said.

The Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is a trade and infrastructure network that includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The network connects more than 60 countries and regions in Asia, Europe and Africa.

China exported a wide range of ship-related products worth $14.62 billion in the first half of this year, up 12.8 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, a Beijing-based body.