中国有12亿多人口，陆地自然资源人均占有量低于世界平均水平。根据中国有关方面的统计： 全国近年来年平均淡水资源总量为28000亿立方米，居世界第六位，但人均占有量仅为世界平均水平的四分之一；中国陆地矿产资源总量丰富，但人均占有量不到世界人均量的一半。中国作为一个发展中的沿海大国，国民经济要持续发展，必须把海洋的开发和保护作为一项长期的战略任务。
China has a population of more than 1.2 billion, and its land natural resources per capita are lower than the world's average. Official statistics show that in recent years China's average annual amount of freshwater resources has been 2,800 billion cubic meter, ranking sixth in the world; but the amount of freshwater resources per capita is only one fourth of the world's average. China is rich in land mineral resources, but the amount per capita is less than half the figure per capita worldwide. As a major developing country with a long coastline, China, therefore, must take exploitation and protection of the ocean as a long-term strategic task before it can achieve the sustainable development of its national economy.
