BEIJING, Oct. 16 -- The Ministry of Natural Resources signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shenzhen Stock Exchange Tuesday, in a bid to boost the high-quality development of the marine economy.

The agreement will promote further cooperation in various fields, such as market service, the supply of innovative products and information exchange for relevant enterprises, said the stock exchange.

China now has 54 listed companies related to marine resources on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, with a total market value of more than 300 billion yuan (about 42.43 billion U.S. dollars), covering marine high-end equipment manufacturing, transportation, information service, and biological medicine.

Grasping the cooperation opportunity, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange will provide full-cycle capital market service to relevant enterprises to construct a modern marine industry system.

The ministry and the Guangdong provincial government co-sponsored the 2019 China Marine Economy Expo in Shenzhen Monday, themed "Sharing Blue Economy Opportunities, Building a Shared Future."

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the ministry have co-sponsored activities to build a bridge between investment and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in the marine industry for four consecutive years, according to the stock exchange.