## 1 Introduction
Meanwhile, some private organizations acquire meteorological data from national meteorological agencies through collaboration and transactions, thereby lowering barriers to data access for ocean-going ship weather routing services. Furthermore, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has reduced traditional weather routing services' reliance on large numbers of professional forecasters and captains, further decreasing operational costs for service providers and fostering the expansion of such institutions globally, including in China. Globally, numerous studies have reviewed aspects of weather routing, focusing on optimization algorithms [12; 13], specific regional challenges [14; 15] or the impact of routing on fuel efficiency and emissions [16; 17]. Several large private companies dominate the international market, offering sophisticated services built on decades of experience and technological investment (see Section 2). However, while these studies and services provide a global context, there is a noticeable gap in the literature regarding a systematic analysis of the current status, specific challenges, and future development trajectory of weather routing services within China. In recent years, international trade disputes and geopolitical shifts have introduced greater challenges and uncertainties to global shipping. Consequently, China has placed significant emphasis on enhancing the safety of ocean shipping and strengthening its weather routing service capabilities. In the Meteorological High-Quality Development Outline (2022-2035), issued by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in 2022, the improvement of marine meteorological forecasting and shipping meteorological services was explicitly highlighted as a priority [18]. Key initiatives include strengthening ship-based observation capabilities, promoting interdepartmental data sharing, advancing high-precision marine meteorological forecasting systems, and enhancing early warning mechanisms for marine meteorological disasters. These efforts aim to establish a robust and independent weather routing service framework to ensure the safety and efficiency of vessel operations. Understanding the current state and future needs of China's weather routing services is therefore crucial, given China's vast maritime fleet, its central role in global trade, the unique characteristics of its national service provision model, and its stated national strategic goals. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive review of China's weather routing services. It analyzes the current status, identifies key challenges and technical constraints from the operational perspective of the national service provider (the National Meteorological Centre, NMC), and presents an outlook on future development. The primary contribution of this work lies in its systematic analysis focused specifically on the Chinese context, offering insights based on direct operational experience. By identifying specific weaknesses and outlining targeted development pathways, this paper serves as a valuable reference for policymakers, service providers, and the international maritime community interested in the evolution of these critical services in a major maritime nation. This paper adopts a qualitative review methodology combined with expert perspective analysis to assess the status quo, challenges, and future prospects of China's ocean-going weather routing services. Recognizing that this work is an analytical review rather than original empirical research, this approach integrates insights from three distinct categories of sources:  
Published Literature and Industry Information: A targeted review of international and domestic scientific papers, technical reports, conference proceedings, and reputable industry publications was conducted over no specific time period to gather foundational knowledge.