Included in China's first batch of designated coastal cities with an open economy, Yantai is expected to become an important strategic link in China's Belt and Road Initiative. Situated in the south of the Korean Bay, the city boasts a long history and enjoys unique geographic advantages.

Yantai has also made remarkable economic progress in recent years. In 2016, the city’s GDP reached 692.6 billion yuan ($102.6 billion), which ranked 19th among all Chinese cities. The profits made by large companies in Yantai reached 1.63 trillion yuan, the highest of any city in Shandong and eighth-highest nationwide.

Many of the world's top 500 corporations have investment projects in Yantai, which has helped the city's imports and exports reach $50 billion per year. The coastal city ranks 24th in China's top 100 foreign trade cities list.

Yantai municipal government has always attached great importance to raising the city’s profile and influence both at home and abroad. It has set up a special leadership group and a promotion team to boost its tourism industry and attract investment.

The government has organized similar promotion events in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Officials decided to hold another event in Hangzhou, one of the major cities in the Yangtze River Delta region and an important tech industry hub, after visiting the city on a study tour.

Hangzhou has itself achieved great success in promoting its image on the global stage recently, after hosting the G20 Summit in September 2016. As a result, Yantai’s promotion event in Hangzhou also offered officials an opportunity to learn from their counterparts' experience.

The chief of Taojin town in Yantai, Shandong province stands in front of the town's gate with a piece of paper in his hands reading "we extend our warm welcome to visitors from Hangzhou". [Photo/ytta.gov.cn]