Qingdao Free Trade Zone (QFTZ) held a signing ceremony for 36 key projects with a total investment of 33.2 billion yuan on the morning of September 23. Spanning six sectors—modern finance, marine industries, international trade, shipping logistics, advanced manufacturing, and integrated circuits—these projects are set to boost high-quality development in the zone and inject fresh momentum into the economic growth of both Qingdao and the West Coast New Area (QWCNA).

The signed projects include five investments from Global Fortune 500 companies, such as Germany's Continental AG, China COSCO Shipping, and Sinotrans. Additionally, seven projects are backed by China's top 500 enterprises—including Shandong Port Group and Zall Smart Company while two involve private sector leaders like Wanyang Group and NAURA Technology—poised to be characterized as large-scale investments with high-quality structure and strong potential to drive development. Six of the seven projects have investments exceeding 1 billion yuan, further enhancing the modern industrial clusters in the QFTZ.

The marine and shipping trade finance sectors make up most of the signed projects; the modern marine industry alone secured 2.037 billion yuan in investments with COSCO's precision marine equipment manufacturing project focusing on "new industry + logistics" to build a marine smart manufacturing base. Additionally, the Huada GBI Biotechnology life sciences project will introduce advanced in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) reagent production equipment, establishing a world-class production facility. Shipping logistics projects attracted a total of 17.27 billion yuan in investments in key projects that include the upgrade of the Qianwan Terminal's northern container berth, the comprehensive overseas warehouse service platform by China Logistics, Sinotrans' smart logistics center, and the XMXYG Superchain bonded warehouse. These projects are expected to bolster the shipping logistics industry in the zone significantly. The signed international trade projects will expand the multi-tiered, multi-format trading system, particularly in bulk commodities like oil and iron ore. Modern finance projects totaled 4 billion yuan, encompassing various financial forms such as funds, supply chain finance, cash pools, and settlement headquarters. These initiatives will further enhance Qingdao's financial landscape.

Signed projects for the advanced manufacturing and integrated circuits sectors totaled 6.595 billion yuan in investments with Continental AG's new automotive parts technology center expected to become a key R&D hub for the company in the Asia-Pacific region once completed. The integrated circuit industry secured 2.7 billion yuan in investments, aimed at strengthening the entire industry chain, from design to materials, equipment manufacturing, packaging, and module production and this will significantly enhance Qingdao's capacity in both advanced manufacturing and integrated circuits.

"We plan to invest 3 billion yuan to develop a new industrial park that integrates manufacturing R&D, e-commerce, logistics, production support, financial services, and smart park management," said General Manager of Wanyang Group's Qingdao division Li Zhe. The Wanyang Innovation City project will focus on industries such as smart manufacturing, integrated circuits, smart appliances, machinery, new energy, and new materials. Once operational, the project is expected to generate an annual output of 3.2 billion yuan.