In the first quarter of the year, Tai'an's imports and exports totaled 10.25 billion yuan ($1.48 billion), a year-on-year increase of 47.5 percent, which was 39.8 percentage points higher than Shandong province's average and ranked first in the province in terms of growth rate.

Meanwhile, the city's foreign investment totaled $264.91 million in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 21.62 percent, ranking fifth in the province in terms of growth rate and being 25.9 percentage points higher than the province's average.

Among them, the manufacturing industry received $142.06 million, an increase of 5.67 percent year-on-year. In addition, investments from Japan and South Korea were $67.06 million, accounting for 25.31 percent of its total, while the high-tech industry received $64.42 million, accounting for 24.32 percent.