S GLOBAL QINGDAO
S worldwide attention to the trade hub
year-on-year. Of that, exports amounted to 160.11 billion yuan, up 6.8 percent, and imports grew by 20.1 percent to hit 88.42 billion yuan.
The ongoing summit will not only help Qingdao to improve its international status and boost the development of the tourism and exhibition industries, but also help improve the city’s infrastructure and public facilities, local officials said.
The city government has conducted a three-year campaign since July last year to improve the urban environment and management by taking into consideration both the summit’s needs and people’s needs for better lives. Changes have taken place within a year, with the city’s night appearance becoming more beautiful and road network having been renovated.
In recent years, the city has attracted an increasing number of high-profile international conferences, forums and expositions, such as the World Horticultural Exhibition in 2014, the 2017 China Wealth Forum and the 2014 APEC Second Senior Officials’ Meeting and Meeting for Ministers Responsible for Trade.
Endowed with a pleasant climate, wonderful landscape and beautiful ocean, Qingdao has been selected by the United Nations as one of the best cities for human habitation. It is also an important city on China’s coast, as well as a popular tourism destination, a historical and cultural city and an international port city.
“Qingdao has made great achievements in promoting economic and social development during 40 years of reform and opening-up,” said Zhang Jiangting, the city’s Party chief.
“It has now grown into a vibrant, fashionable and attractive international metropolis, and will show its unique city charm and image to the world through the summit,” Zhang added.
Qingdao has renovated some of its ancient buildings to showcase contemporary arts. It is also the birthplace of many “firsts” in China — the first road, the first train and first bottle of mineral water.
The ocean is the most distinctive feature of the city. Qingdao a total sea area of more than 12,000 square kilometers and a coastline stretching 817 kilometers.
The city has 69 islands and 49 natural harbors. It also boasts about 20 percent of all the maritime-related research institutes in China, as well as one third of the maritime-related research and development platforms at ministerial level or above, and 27.7 percent of maritime-related academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.