A worker operates intelligent machine tools to make industrial robots at a factory in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo/IC]

The gross domestic product (GDP) of East China's Shandong province totaled 4.41 trillion yuan ($617.9 billion) in the first half of 2023, up 6.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Shandong Provincial Bureau of Statistics.

Shandong's economy performed steadily in the first six months of this year as market demand was gradually restored and production and supply continued to grow. Both employment and price remained stable, thanks to the local government's efforts to boost market confidence, expand demand, stabilize growth, and promote development, said local officials.

During the period, the added value of the province's primary industry reached 298 billion yuan, up 4 percent year-on-year, and that of the secondary industry surpassed 1.72 trillion yuan, up 6.5 percent year-on-year. The added value of the province's tertiary industry grew 6.3 percent to 2.39 trillion yuan.

A construction site for rebuilding urban village in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, May 24, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

In the first half of the year, the total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in the province increased by 4.3 percent year-on-year. The output of grain totaled 26.74 million metric tons, an increase of 325,000 tons over the same period last year.

The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size in Shandong increased by 6.9 percent year-on-year.

Fixed-asset investment across Shandong surged 5.5 percent year-on-year in the first six months. In terms of sectors, urban infrastructure investment increased 30.9 percent, while manufacturing investment expanded by 7.2 percent.

In the first half of 2023, Shandong saw its consumption rebound rapidly as the province's total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year.

In the first six months, the province's imports and exports volume totaled 1.6 trillion yuan, up 1.8 percent year-on-year. Among them, imports to Shandong grew 1.7 percent to 638.07 billion yuan, while exports expanded 1.9 percent to 924.9 billion yuan.