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Abstract: Over the last quarter century, because of the ineffective pollution management measures taken by the government of China, the concentration of major contaminants have exhibited an increasing trend, the frequency and areas of red tides have gradually increased and fishery resources have been nearly exhausted. Although China has not lacked laws or regulations related to marine pollution during this time, the marine environment is still deteriorating. In 2001, China embarked on an ambitious program to improve water quality through the creation of the Clean Bohai Sea Program (CBSP). This program was the first regional ocean governance program in China at the national level. However, the CBSP proved to be a failure after only five years. In 2009, the Bohai Sea Environmental Protection General Planning document (2008–2020) was issued by China. However, the effect of this general planning has not been obvious, and the Bohai Sea remains seriously polluted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]