Technological innovation has been a driving force in Qingdao's progress, officials said. Thanks to a smart ocean management platform launched in December 2020, different government departments of the West Coast New Area, including fisheries, environmental protection and maritime affairs, are now able to quickly share data on such topics as geography, locations of ports and fishing boats, natural disaster forecasts and monitoring of the ocean environment.
Qingdao's government plans to build the city into "a leading maritime hub with advanced marine technology, a highly developed marine economy, a good ocean environment, flourishing marine culture and active international maritime exchanges and cooperation", according to guidelines for the development of marine economy, which were recently unveiled by the city.
Building a modern port will provide fundamental support for the realization of this vision. Officials at Qingdao Port, operated by Shandong Port Group, say they are working hard to be close partners of the city in its development.
Qingdao Port, the largest foreign trade port in northern China, has leveraged opportunities created by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to expand its connections with other RCEP members and strengthen its cargo capacity. It has also promoted regional economic development by providing more efficient logistics services and facilitating a favorable business environment, officials said. The port opened 19 new international shipping routes last year and three in January.
While developing an increasingly dense network of international maritime routes, Qingdao is also focusing on its connection with inland areas to create a multimodal transportation hub.
Last year, seven sea-rail multimodal lines were added, making for a total of 62. About 1.75 million twenty-foot equivalent units－a measure of volume in units of standard shipping containers－were handled this way. That was an increase of 6 percent from a year earlier, topping the nation for the seventh consecutive year.
In 2020, Qingdao surpassed Busan, South Korea, in container throughput to become the world's sixth busiest port and the busiest in northeastern Asia. But for the government of Qingdao, increased container traffic is just one primary objective. Officials said creating a world-class port will boost the city's industrial upgrading and overall development, especially with more closely interconnected flows of goods, capital, information and people.
Shandong Port Group has planned 27 projects with a combined investment of nearly 30 billion yuan to integrate the development of the port, multiple industries and the city. Seven of the projects, worth 7 billion yuan, have already been completed, and 20 others involving the construction of docks and warehouses for crude oil, liquid chemicals and bulk grain were started in February.
