Ocean economy promotional legislation in China’s coastal provinces: progress, problems and prospects

China’s ocean economy has reached a substantial scale, and the policy objective has consequently shifted from expanding output to improving the quality of development. In 2018, the central authorities called for high-quality development of the ocean economy. In response, China’s coastal provinces began exploring a governance model in which legislation serves as a driver of high-quality growth, giving rise to a distinct form of lawmaking: ocean economy promotion legislation. This form of legislation has since become an increasingly important governance tool in China’s coastal provinces. Nevertheless, existing enactments exhibit several shortcomings, including a tendency to prioritize economic growth over marine environmental protection, the limited binding force of statutory provisions, legislative homogenization, and the absence of a post-legislative evaluation system. To address these issues, the relationship between ocean economy development and marine environmental protection must be better balanced; the binding force of promotional legislation must be strengthened; legal institutions must be tailored to each province’s circumstances; and a system for post-legislative evaluation, together with a dynamic amendment mechanism, must be established. Looking ahead, China should draw on the experience and lessons of provincial ocean economy promotion legislation and, when conditions permit, develop a national-level legal framework to address regional disparities in ocean economy development and provide a sound legal foundation for the healthy, sustainable, and balanced development of the country’s ocean economy.