Shandong Port Group (SPG) visited three cities – Tai'an, Liaocheng, and Dezhou – in Shandong province to sign strategic cooperation agreements with local governments on promoting construction on Taishan (Xintai) inland port June 18 and 19. These efforts helped SPG make great strides in promoting port-industry-city integration and boosting regional economic development in the three cities.

During this period in China of COVID-19 prevention and control when industrial supply chains have been more stable, SPG has worked to sign agreements with the three cities to develop inland ports. This demonstrates that SPG has intensified concrete steps to seize strategic opportunities brought about by international economic growth and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, fully leveraging port advantages, and boosting the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones to ensure the high-quality development of Shandong through port-industry-city integration.

The opening of Taishan (Xintai) Inland Port will increase the number to 16 of SPG inland ports across the nation, with 66 new sea-rail intermodal trains also being added. A network has been developed featuring “one route for one city, one port in one land, linking Shandong and opening to the world”.

Benefiting from these agreements, SPG will work with cities in Shandong to build a platform for port-industry-city integrated development. It will fully integrate into and push hard for the development of the cities, make full use of their strategic advantages in location and industries, with the aim of realizing win-win development between cities and ports.

The three cities are members of the Shandong provincial capital economic circle. Focusing on port-industry-city integration, SPG will deepen all-round cooperation with Shandong's 16 cities to build a united system of integrated ports and cities as a platform for win-win results.

By fulfilling the policy of investment and talent introduction and starting the new journey of port-industry-city integration with local governments, SPG stands ready to ramp up efforts to replace old growth drivers with new ones to better serve the high-quality development of Shandong and the national development strategy.