Qingdao FTZ: Prosperous start to Year of the Dragon

At the beginning of the new year, the Qingdao Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, also known as the Qingdao FTZ, has taken major projects as the backbone of its economy, thereby consolidating its high-quality development.

On Feb 19, at the site of the Haier Strauss Water Purification Technology Industrial Park, one of Haier Group's key projects in the water intelligence manufacturing industry, excavators and engineering vehicles were lined up in a row. Construction on 16 key projects with a total investment of about 7.3 billion yuan ($1.01 billion) in the Qingdao FTZ kicked off recently.

"The projects have a large investment scale, which will undoubtedly provide stronger support for the development of a modern industrial cluster in the area and increase momentum," said Wang Li, deputy director of the management committee of the Qingdao FTZ.

The Semiconductor Advanced Equipment Research and Manufacturing Center, which has also started construction, is another key project involving equipment in the integrated circuit industrial chain. It will provide system equipment products and technical service solutions with independently controllable core technologies and is expected to achieve an annual output value of 1.5 billion yuan.

In the digital economy, the Qingdao FTZ has started construction on the Big Data Computing Center, which will effectively enhance the informatization, digitization and intelligence capabilities of the area and boost the city's digital reform.

To date, the Qingdao FTZ has attracted 36 companies with core competitiveness. Ten companies, including KingAgroot, have been selected as key enterprises in the city. A total of 26 genetic industry projects have been introduced, with a total investment exceeding 12 billion yuan and an annual output value exceeding 4 billion yuan.

A simulation design of Haier Strauss Water Purification Technology Industrial Park. [Photo/WeChat account: qingdaozimao]