The General Office of Shandong Provincial People's Government recently released a plan for the province's maritime economic development during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. The plan lays out a blueprint for the province's maritime economic growth over the next five years.

For Shandong Port Group, or SPG, which has been called a strategic participant in the province's plan to build a strong maritime sector, the plan has spurred the company to push through its port integration reform, while injecting new growth drivers and charting a path towards SPG's transformation and high-quality growth.

In terms of optimizing port planning, SPG is currently in a new phase of port integration, with its four port groups pursuing coordinated and integrated development. Going forward, SPG is expected to improve quality, efficiency, resource allocation and port planning, all in a bid to share the greater benefits brought about by its port integration reform.

When it comes to building a smart, green and safe port, SPG has become an early mover in smart and green port construction. It finished building the world's leading and Asia's first fully-automated container terminal and the first "hydrogen+5G" smart, eco-friendly terminal at Qingdao Port. The company's intelligent air-track transport system was also launched there. Furthermore, the world's first side-loading and parallel-layout fully automated container terminal was opened at Rizhao Port last month. All these "firsts" will become key to SPG's operations over the next five years.