Qingdao Port in Shandong province [Photo/IC]

The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, will intensify efforts to implement a series of measures to promote the development of foreign trade, seize the opportunity in the new round of foreign trade development, and speed up its construction into a strong international trade city and a highland to attract foreign investment, said local officials.

The remarks were made during a special working conference on the city's foreign trade held on Jan 7.

The city will deepen integrated development of investment and trade, trade and industry, goods and services, online and offline trade modes, and domestic and foreign trade, and raise the level of trade supply as well.

This year, Qingdao will continue to develop new forms and models of foreign trade, and the city's trade of cross-border e-commerce is expected to exceed 80 billion yuan ($11.8 billion).

Efforts will be made to upgrade local trading platforms, and 1,000 new trading enterprises will be established.

The city will support Qingdao Port in strengthening its ability to handle meat, parallel vehicles, and imported fruits to expand the import of quality consumer goods.

It will promote coordinated development of aviation, trade and finance, and work with transportation and finance departments to attract more shipping service enterprises to settle in the city.

It will strengthen cooperation with financial institutions and banks as well as with comprehensive foreign trade service platforms along the Yellow River Basin.

Efforts will also be made to expand trade in services, increase the scale and quality of foreign investment, and deepen overseas investment cooperation.