As the 7th Qingdao Multinationals Summit begins in Qingdao, Shandong province, Yantai is attracting new interest from global investors. More than 100 Fortune Global 500 companies have established a presence in the city in sectors such as new energy, biomedicine, and high-end equipment.

Henkel recently launched its largest adhesive plant in China — its fifth expansion in Yantai. The facility is expected to produce 14,000 metric tons of specialty adhesives annually by 2027. Phina, a Fortune 500 company from the US, has expanded seven times in seven years, with total investment exceeding $500 million.

Yantai's collaboration with multinationals is changing. This March, the IBM Global AI Innovation Center opened in Yantai, applying AI to local industries like chemicals and biomedicine. Last year, Kuwait's Petrochemical Industries Company invested $638 million in a Wanhua Chemical subsidiary, while DSM-Firmenich invested $46.53 million in a pectin base — the largest European investment in Yantai in recent years.

Today, Yantai fosters billion-yuan-level clusters in green chemicals, auto manufacturing, and food processing. With ongoing investments and a shift toward high-value collaboration, Yantai is becoming a significant part of global supply chains — not just a destination, but a true partner.