Containers are unloaded at Qingdao Port in Shandong province in March. [Photo by Yu Fangping/For China Daily]

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Shandong has been ramping up efforts to phase out backward and excessive production capacity in an effective way, transform and upgrade traditional industries, as well as foster and expand new economic drivers to promote high-quality development.

Since 2018, Shandong has treated more than 110,000 poorly managed and polluting small enterprises. The number of chemical industrial parks has been reduced from 199 to 84, and the province has completed the tasks of reducing crude steel output and coke capacity.

Shandong's regional GDP reached 8.3 trillion yuan ($1.25 trillion) in 2021, up 8.3 percent year-on-year, with the additional value of the "Four New Economy" (new technology, new business pattern, new development mode, and new industry) accounting for 31.7 percent, up 10 percentage points from 2017.

Shandong aspires to be at the forefront of innovation-driven development. The province has the most national-level enterprise technology centers in the country, at 198. Seven of the National Development and Reform Commission's first batch of 66 national emerging industry clusters are in Shandong, which ranks first in China.

Since 2018, Shandong has implemented 38,000 technological transformation projects each with an investment of more than 5 million yuan, ranking first in China in terms of investment scale.

Since the beginning of this year, Shandong has coordinated epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. In the first quarter of 2022, the province's GDP reached 1.99 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.2 percent year-on-year.

During this period, the output of new energy vehicles increased by 217.6 percent, and the output of industrial robots increased by 217.8 percent. "The former reflects the green development of Shandong's economy, while the latter shows the strong strength of smart manufacturing in the province," a local official said.

The 12th Shandong Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China, which opened on May 28, proposed to advance the transformation of old growth drivers into new ones, upgrade traditional industries, expand emerging industries, strengthen advanced manufacturing industries, cultivate and expand digital driving forces, and create new advantages for high-quality development.

In the next five years, Shandong's economy is expected to be comprehensively improved and more efficient. The per capita GDP will reach 110,000 yuan, and the added value of "Four New Economy" will account for more than 40 percent of the regional GDP, according to Shandong authorities.