A Blue Silicon Valley in the city of Qingdao, Shandong province, which has the desire to become China's oceanographic research and commercialization center, recently got the nod from Chinese authorities for its planned development, the Qingdao Daily reported, on Dec 25.

The project will cover about 351 square kilometers of land and 225 sq km of sea area to increase transportation between the Yangtze River Delta region and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei province area, and cooperation with Japan and South Korea.

It will be developing several key scientific and technological areas -- marine biology, seawater resources, new materials, renewable energy, ocean environmental protection, marine instruments and meters, and marine equipment. It already has considerable scientific and technological strength and personnel and has attracted seven national R&D institutions and 19 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.