Shandong Port Group (SPG) held a ceremony for the start, resumption and operation of 48 key construction projects in Rizhao city on Feb 6.

Projects serve as "major propellers" of port transformation and are "the cornerstone" for boosting the high-quality socio-economic development of cities.

SPG has taken concrete measures to boost the integrated development of the city and port in  Rizhao. Its overall port strength and service capacity were significantly improved by utilizing the Rizhao Port platform. SPG has also made all-out efforts to accelerate the integrated development of the ports, cities and local industries. A total of 25 port-industry-city integrated development cooperation projects were implemented in the city, attracting a total investment of 6.7 billion yuan ($987.55 million) and tax payments totaling of 4.73 billion yuan, which have promoted Rizhao's socio-economic growth.

All of these 48 projects, which have either been completed, started construction, or received investment, cover areas such as logistics, industrial parks, and culture and tourism, have attracted a total investment of 38.7 billion yuan. Upon completion, these projects are expected to help SPG make more contributions to the socio-economic development of Rizhao and forge a new example of port-industry-city integration. In addition, SPG plans to invest an additional 18 billion yuan in Rizhao during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) to attract new projects to settle in the city.

With the launch of the projects, SPG aims to further promote the integration of port areas, urban areas and industrial parks to make greater contributions to Rizhao's growth.

In 2023, one of SPG's main goals is to firmly take the responsibility of promoting the integrated development of port areas, urban areas, and industrial parks, leverage its role as a core node for supply chains, accelerate the cultivation of the modern shipping comprehensive service system, and make all-out efforts to build a complete port ecosystem. All these efforts focus on making greater contributions to helping Rizhao become a modern seashore city.

SPG holds a ceremony for the start and resumption of 48 key construction projects in Rizhao city on Feb 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]