This year's China Marine Economy Expo, to be held in Zhanjiang from Dec 14 to 17, will be bigger and better than ever according to a promotional event held for the expo recently in Shanghai.

More than 3,00 exhibitors and over 300,000 visitors are expected to descend on the coastal Guangdong province city for the expo.

Hosted by the State Oceanic Administration and Guangdong Provincial Government, it is the only national comprehensive marine economy expo in China.

The exhibition hall will be divided into state and industry pavilions along with tourism areas, commodity fair and interactive experience zones. Priority will be given to display the latest achievements in port logistics, marine shipping, energy resources, aquaculture, science and technology.

In addition, the expo will showcase the latest in cutting-edge technologies and industrial transformed achievements in relation to maritime information, big data, positioning and navigation.

Different from the old practice of focusing on exhibitions, the 2017 China Marine Economy Expo will combine exhibition with trade. It will cooperate with the China Foreign Trade Centre, which is the organizer of China Import and Export Fair, as well as improve its management and services to better appeal to exhibitors and buyers.

Meanwhile, State Oceanic Administration will release the China Ocean Economic Development Index and invite famous industry figures to the expo on the sideline of the event.

An array of professional forums will also be held during the expo. Government officials, experts and business leaders both from home and abroad will deliver keynote speeches and hold in-depth discussions on new models and approaches to developing marine economy.