Qingdao Port [Photo/VCG] 

Shandong has been beefing up efforts to become a strong maritime province since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, with specific measures taken to cultivate a competitive marine economy.

Shandong boasts a coastline of more than 3,500 kilometers, accounting for one-sixth of the country's total. With an adjacent sea area of nearly 160,000 square kilometers, the province is situated along the sea and thrives by it.

The oceans are strategically important to high-quality development. Shandong has sped up the progress in the construction of world-class sea ports, a well-established modern maritime industry system, and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment to build its emergence as a maritime power.

Shandong Port Group, established in 2018, has integrated the major ports in the province, including Qingdao Port, Yantai Port, Rizhao Port and the Bohai Bay Port Group, in a bid to play a bigger role in the Belt and Road Initiative by integrating port facilities and services in the province.

Since its establishment, it has started the transformation and upgrading of the traditional port business from one of loading and unloading to one of logistics, trade and finances.

In the first half of this year, Shandong Port Group's emerging business accounted for 74.7 percent of its total revenue. It handled 940 million tons of cargo, ranking first in China.

Listing the modern marine industry as one of its top 10 industries, Shandong is working to further optimize and improve the marine industry. More efforts have been made to promote the upgrading of traditional marine activities, cultivate emerging sectors, advance marine services and elevate the marine industrial chain.

According to official data, in 2021, the scale of Shandong's six marine industries, namely the marine fishery, marine salt industry, marine transportation, marine biomedicine, marine power and marine mining, ranked first in China. The number of national-level marine ranch demonstration areas in Shandong increased to 59, accounting for more than one-third of the country's total.