China has opened up more maritime space for development, charging enterprise and individual developers 10.8 billion yuan (1.7 billion U.S. dollars) last year, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said on Thursday.

China streamlined the application and approval procedure for maritime space development last year, allowing the market to play a more active role in maritime resources allocation, said the administration.

A report released by the SOA showed 21,500 hectares of sea reclamation were approved in 2013.

The report also noted recreational use of maritime space made the largest increase in the share of fees, which surged from 2.87 percent in 2012 to 13.69 percent in 2013.