Qingdao to build a global metropolis

Qingdao in East China's Shandong province plans to become an international innovation-oriented metropolis, a global financial and transportation hub, a model city for modern governance and a high-quality coastal city suitable for living, working and tourism, said local officials.

Modern industries

Qingdao is an industrial city with a solid economic foundation. The city will implement revitalization of the real economy and take action on development; focus on boosting seven advantageous industries such as smart home appliances and rail transit equipment; accelerate the expansion of 10 emerging industries such as integrated circuits and virtual reality and promote the development of modern finance and modern logistics.

Leading marine economy

The marine economy is a prominent advantage of Qingdao. Over the past 10 years, the city's marine economy has grown at an average annual rate of more than 15 percent. Qingdao will strive to become a hub for international marine science and technology innovation, international shipping, marine industry, marine ecology and vigorously enhance its core competitiveness.

Qingdao, Shandong province [Photo/VCG]

An innovative area

Qingdao is a hot spot for innovation and entrepreneurship, with 29 colleges and universities, nine national labs and 50 provincial-level key laboratories. The output value of high-tech industries in Qingdao accounts for more than 60 percent of the total industrial output value above scale. The city will construct innovation platforms, highlight the main role of enterprises, create a more superior innovation and entrepreneurship environment and attract more talented people.

An international gateway hub

Qingdao is an important open port of China and a key trading partner with 229 countries and regions across the world. Qingdao Port links more than 700 ports in more than 180 countries and regions, and Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is open to 126 cities around the world. The city will give full play to Qingdao's role as a strategic node in building a new development pattern and accelerate the construction of high-level open-up platforms such as the Qingdao Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone. As an international comprehensive transportation hub, it will better serve and integrate into the national regional development strategy, build a modern metropolitan area and continuously create new advantages in opening-up.

A high-quality port

Qingdao is a city with beautiful scenery and a good business environment. As a coastal tourist city and a national historic and cultural city, Qingdao has been rated as one of the most livable cities by the United Nations. It will continue to promote urban renewal and construction, speed up the protection and renewal of historic urban areas, improve infrastructure such as rail transit and roads, accelerate the construction of a park city and comprehensively improve the quality of urban functions.

A model for governance

Qingdao is one of the first national civilized cities, with a harmonious, stable and orderly society and a modern long-term mechanism for social governance. The city will work hard to improve the modernization of the urban system and enhance its governance capacity.