Qingdao West Coast New Area celebrates a decade of high-quality development

On June 3, 2014, the State Council of China granted approval for the establishment of Qingdao West Coast New Area (Qingdao WCNA). This year, Qingdao WCNA marks the end of its first decade, a period of vibrant growth and development that has seen the area flourish with a youthful vigor and a forward-moving spirit.

From 2013 to 2023, Qingdao WCNA witnessed a remarkable increase in its gross domestic product (GDP), surging from 212.1 billion yuan ($29.27 billion) to an impressive 500.34 billion yuan.

This robust economic performance has placed it among the top three of the 19 State-level new areas in China.

The area's contribution to Shandong province's economic growth has also seen a significant rise, from 3.7 percent to 6.7 percent. Notably, the Zhonghua thermal physics scientific equipment, highlighted as the first national key scientific infrastructure project launched in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), demonstrates the region's commitment to scientific advancement. Other important scientific projects related to aerospace power and marine ecological systems have also made notable progress.

Qingdao WCNA has been at the forefront of serving national strategies, with a particular focus on marine development. In 2023, the area's marine GDP reached almost 200 billion yuan, accounting for 2 percent of the national marine GDP, 11.6 percent of the provincial marine GDP, and 40.4 percent of the municipal marine GDP.

The area has led the way in creating the country's first deep-sea green aquaculture experimental zone, which includes warm-water salmon farming. It also houses the largest national marine ranch group. China's innovative cylindrical floating production, storage and offloading facility, the first in Asia, was established in Qingdao WCNA. Furthermore, the world's largest marine gene bank has been established there, showcasing Qingdao WCNA's dedication to marine innovation.