Country's shipbuilders to enter new era of high growth

China's State-owned shipbuilders are expected to enter a high-growth period this year, driven by global markets' soaring demand for high-end and environmentally friendly vessels as well as the recovery of China's marine economy, according to experts and business leaders.

China remained the world's leading shipbuilder in the first seven months, with its market share ranking tops globally in output and in new and pending orders.

The country's shipbuilding output hit 20.85 million deadweight tons in the January-July period, accounting for 44.4 percent of the world's total, according to Beijing-based China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI). Deadweight is often used to specify a ship's maximum permissible weight.