A freighter docks at the Port of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province. The port opened new routes to two RCEP-related destinations on Jan 19. ZHANG JINGANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

The province of Shandong in East China posted strong economic and social development in the first quarter of the year, according to a news conference held on April 21 by the Information Office of the Shandong Provincial People's Government.

Over this period, the province's GDP was recorded at 1.81 trillion yuan ($278.42 billion), up 18 percent year-on-year, and up 11.1 percent compared with the first quarter of 2019. The two-year average growth stood at 5.4 percent.   

The added value of the primary industry in Shandong reached 67.92 billion yuan, up by 4 percent year-on-year and growing an average of 1.7 percent over the past two years.

The added value of the province's secondary industry hit 691.1 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 19.6 percent and a two-year average growth of 5.4 percent.

The added value of its tertiary industry reached 1.05 trillion yuan, up 18 percent year-on-year and up 5.7 percent on average over the past two years.

In the first quarter of 2021, the total output value of the agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing industries in Shandong reached 131.5 billion yuan, up 5.3 percent year-on-year. The growth rate was 5.1 percentage points higher than in the same period last year.

From January to March, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 23.5 percent year-on-year, while the average growth over the past two years was 7.9 percent.

In the first two months of this year, the operating income of services above designated size in the province reached 157.82 billion yuan, up 40.4 percent year-on-year and up 12.7 percent over the past two years.

In the first quarter of 2021, total retail sales of consumer goods reached 756.69 billion yuan, up 30.4 percent year-on-year and up 5.2 percent over the past two years.

Fixed asset investment grew 18 percent year-on-year with a two-year average growth of 6.4 percent. Fixed-asset investment rose 15.2 percent in March.

The total value of Shandong's imports and exports reached 617.71 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, up 38.9 percent over the same period last year, according to customs statistics.