BEIJING — China has unveiled a plan to specify key tasks for protecting the marine environment in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Jan 17.

The plan, jointly issued by the MEE and five other departments, outlines five areas for marine-environment protection.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), China saw an overall improvement in its marine environment, said the MEE, but more protection efforts should be made, given that problems such as pollution and ecological degradation remain prominent, and governance systems and capacities still need to be strengthened.

The country will carry out targeted pollution treatment with a focus on nearshore bays and estuaries, while paying more attention to overall protection and systematic restoration.

China will build up its capacity for coping with emergencies and ecological disasters in the ocean, according to the plan.

Efforts will be made to coordinate climate response and marine-environment protection during the period, fully leverage the role of the oceans in carbon sequestration and enhance their resilience to climate change.