The year 2005 marks the 600^th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages to the west---which, by any measure, is a splendid achievement in terms of exploration to the oceans when China was still at the stage of ancient agriculture civilization, and a forerunner of the succedent great discovery across the world by sea. It also helped to establish a model of peace out of China's policy of establishing friendly diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, building good-neighborly relationship and promoting common development.

　　The navigation skills, the shipbuilding methods and technologies and the navigation capability of the Ming Dynasty at the time when Zheng He lived were peerless in the world. However, an unfortunate indisputable fact is that China failed to grow up to an eventual ocean power on that basis and the advanced navigation skills and technologies were not further developed and promoted after Zheng He. When the West started to make great strides in achieving industrialization and in practicing opening-up policies, China, on the other hand, did otherwise by turning inward and walling itself from international exchanges. An in-depth study for the reasons will give us such a warning: The Chinese feudal society's tradition of promoting physiocracy and suppressing trade, that lasted for several thousand years, held back the growth of the nation's awareness of the ocean, resulting in the Chinese nation being barren of geographical concept of the sea and lack of broad mind for a long period of time. The close-door policy for the ban of ocean trade prevailing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties further impoverished this status, which caused, in the wake of Zheng He's magnificent feat, the loss of China's absolute superiority in navigation technology during the 400 years from the 12^th century to the 15^th century.

　　In the present world, the strategic position of ocean is gradually projecting. Oceans are playing the important role of treasure house for human kind to deal with population expansion, resource exhaustion, and environment deterioration as well as to realize sustainable development. At the historical moment of ocean development, safeguarding ocean right and interests, ensuring the security of the passageway at sea, pressing the nation's interests at sea, exploration and management of oceans are the common understanding of more and more countries. Successful and effective execution of the grand strategy in terms of ocean management is a historic duty that we, a new generation of Chinese, cannot decline.

　　By Liu Jiangping and Chai Yongzhong

　　(July 18, PLA Daily)