Qingdao in East China's Shandong province is striving to build a modern marine economy. It aims to become a hub for international marine science and technology innovation, international shipping, the marine industry, marine ecology and vigorously enhance its core competitiveness.

The city plans to promote the innovative application of offshore wind power and build a leading demonstration zone for maritime economic development in the country.

Qingdao's gross ocean product will account for about 33 percent of its GDP by 2026. The total cargo throughput at the city's ports will exceed 700 million metric tons and container throughput will exceed 28 million twenty-foot equivalent units.

Qingdao boasts rich marine resources and a solid industrial foundation for marine economy development.

Over the past 10 years, the city's marine economy has grown at an average annual rate of more than 15 percent. In 2021, the gross marine product of Qingdao reached 468.48 billion yuan ($64.23 billion), up 17.1 percent year-on-year, accounting for more than 30 percent of the city's GDP.

The cargo throughput and container throughput of Qingdao Port both ranked fourth among national coastal ports, and the container volume of sea-rail combined transportation in Qingdao has ranked highest in the sector for seven consecutive years.

The city is home to a large number of leading marine enterprises. Thirty-four marine and related industries are located in Qingdao, among which marine engineering and marine biomedicine are at the forefront in China.

The city is home to nearly 30 first-class marine scientific research institutions, accounting for more than 33 percent of China's total. Among them, the Pilot National Lab for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), which was put into operation in 2015, is China's first national marine laboratory.

The city also has more than 20 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the marine sector, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the country's total.

The deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong is developed in Qingdao. [Photo/Guanhai News]

The world's first 100,000-ton, smart fish-farming ship is built in Qingdao. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Qingdao boasts rich marine resources and a solid marine industrial foundation. [Photo by Han Xing/Guanhai News]

The fully automated terminal at Qingdao Port [Photo by Zhao Jianpeng/Guanhai News]