China has made remarkable progress in updating its laws and regulations in the area of maritime jurisdiction, said a senior judge with the country's Supreme People's Court Monday.

Li Guoguang, vice president of the court, made the remark in a speech to the ongoing International Forum of Maritime Environment Protection Laws.

China is making efforts in the field to promote international trade and protect the ocean environment, Li said.

With a vast area of territorial waters and more than 32,000 kilometers of coastline, the maritime sector of the economy, including the ocean petroleum and natural gas industries, has become one of China's pillars, according to Li.

However, China is currently confronted with the challenge of ocean pollution, a problem which needs an immediate remedy, said Li.

China has ratified nearly 20 international conventions on the exploration of ocean resources, the prevention of ocean pollution and the preservation of ocean ecology since the 1980s, Li said.

Meanwhile, a number of domestic laws and regulations have been enacted to reinforce the international conventions, he said.

Since 1984, 10 maritime courts have been set up in a number of China's coastal cities, which have handled more than 300 cases involving compensations for sea pollution.

The international forum opened Monday with more than 200 international ocean protection specialists in attendance.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2002)