Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Qingdao is building a strong city with high quality, said local officials at a quality conference held on Sept 14 at which the quality of city-wide work in Qingdao was reported.

In recent years, Qingdao has placed quality work in an important position for economic and social development, promoting improvements in product quality, brand building, standard system building, and foundational support. Significant progress has been made in the construction of a strong city with high quality.

The city has been honored with one China Quality Award and eight nominations for the China Quality Award. Twenty-two companies have been recognized as national quality benchmarks, with two world-renowned branded products and 68 Chinese renowned branded products. Additionally, 26 brands have been selected among "China's Top 500 Most Valuable Brands".

The manufacturing industry is the foundation and cornerstone of Qingdao's development. With 39 industrial sectors and a number of world-renowned manufacturing companies such as Haier, Hisense, and Tsingtao Brewery, Qingdao is continuously improving the quality of its manufacturing industry.

It is focusing on high-end, intelligent, and green development, making efforts in technological innovation, digital transformation, and the cultivation of industrial clusters, aiming to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial quality, and promoting the shift of industrial products towards middle and high-end markets.

In addition, Qingdao is also focusing on areas such as agricultural and sideline products, the service industry, engineering, and public services to create new competitive advantages through promotion of quality upgrades.