Shandong has set a target of over 5 percent year-on-year GDP growth for 2026, the provincial Governor Zhou Naixiang said while delivering the government work report at the opening of the fourth session of the 14th Shandong Provincial People's Congress in Jinan on Jan 27.

The province also aims to create more than 1.1 million new jobs and oversee a 2 percent increase in general public budget revenue in 2026, Zhou said.

The report forms part of the province's two sessions, the annual meetings where lawmakers and political advisers discuss the previous year's socio-economic development achievements and outline plans for the year ahead. Shandong's two sessions began on Jan 26 and will conclude on Jan 31.

According to the report, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the province's GDP posted an average annual growth rate of 5.9 percent, while per capita GDP rose from 73,400 yuan ($1,0567.69) to 102,600 yuan, marking a significant rise in overall economic strength.

In 2025, Shandong's GDP grew 5.5 percent to reach 10.3 trillion yuan, making it the third province in China and the first in northern China to exceed the 10-trillion-yuan mark.

The breakthrough was driven by having a "solid foundation of the real economy, province-wide growth momentum, and a well-targeted policy support", according to Liu Dejun, a member of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the Strategic Planning Research Institute at the Shandong Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

Liu suggested that Shandong continue upgrading its traditional industries, foster emerging sectors such as new energy, new materials, and biomedicine, and leverage its coastal advantages to strengthen its marine economy, focusing on offshore wind, marine biomedicine, and smart port construction.