The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China explicitly called for “developing the ocean economy, protecting the marine ecological environment, and accelerating the building of a strong maritime country.” According to the latest China Marine Economic Statistics Bulletin, the gross ocean product has approached RMB 10 trillion, accounting for approximately 8% of the national GDP. The marine economy is rapidly emerging as a vital engine of China’s economic growth and a pivotal area for cultivating new quality productive forces.
Driven by both national strategic priorities and practical needs, Dr. Zhang Zengkai focuses on the sustainable development of the ocean economy. Employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates management science, economics, and environmental studies, he is dedicated to constructing a theoretical framework and technical system for the coordinated regulation of the ocean economy, resources, and environment from a holistic land-sea perspective.
He currently leads several key research projects including a National Key R&D Program project titled Comprehensive Assessment of Carbon Sink Trading and Ecosystem Service Functions in Coastal Wetlands, which systematically evaluates the carbon sink potential and ecological service value of typical coastal wetlands in China, and explores market-based mechanisms for blue carbon trading and ecological compensation policies. Simultaneously, he leads a General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China entitled Tracing Embedded Carbon Footprints and Simulating Emission Reduction Policies in China’s Ocean Economy Based on Full Industrial Chains. This project aims to develop a traceability model for embedded carbon in marine economic sectors from an industrial chain perspective, identifies key emission sources, and conducts multi-scenario policy simulations to support the low-carbon transition of China’s marine industries with theoretical insights and decision-making tools.
In the area of data methodology and empirical research, Professor Zhang’s team developed an input-output table for the ocean economy in 2025, covering 11 coastal provinces and 13 marine sectors in China (Figure 1), based on provincial input-output tables and marine economic statistics from 2017. This work effectively addresses the limitations of traditional economic accounting systems in terms of sectoral granularity and data integration specific to marine industries.
Figure 1：Construction of the Ocean-Economy Input-Output Table (OEIO) for Coastal China
The resulting framework offers considerable potential for application in cutting-edge fields such as marine economic accounting, analysis of inter-sectoral linkages within the ocean economy, and assessment of the environmental and ecological impacts of marine economic activities. It provides a critical data infrastructure and methodological foundation for enhancing the precision of marine economic management, designing targeted marine emission reduction policies, and supporting China’s strategy to become a maritime powerhouse.
Looking ahead, Professor Zhang Zengkai will closely align with China’s strategic goals of “Building a Strong Maritime Country” and “Dual Carbon” initiatives, focusing on the green transition and sustainable development of the ocean economy. His future research will prioritize the following key areas: (1) Ocean Economic Accounting Methods and Database Development; (2) Coupled Marine-Socioeconomic System Modeling; (3) Integrated Smart Ocean Governance Platforms; and (4) Sustainable Development Pathways for the Ocean Economy.
Dr. Zhang Zengkai obtained his Ph.D. in Business Administration from Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2015. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and the School of International Development, University of East Anglia, UK. In 2022, he joined Xiamen University as a Professor. Dr. Zhang has published more than 50 papers in leading environmental journals such as Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, and Scientific Data, and has authored four books. He has taught multiple courses including Environmental Management and Environmental Regulation and Practice. He is also a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Special Prize in Natural Sciences from the All-China Environment Federation, the First Prize of Shaanxi Higher Education Science and Technology Award, and the First Prize of Tianjin University Think Tank Outstanding Decision-Making Consultation Achievement Award.
For more information, please visit his faculty page at:
https://mel2.xmu.edu.cn/faculty/ZengkaiZhang/ or contact him via email at: zengkaizhang@xmu.edu.cn.
