Wang Qingxian, member of the Standing Committee of CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and Secretary of CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, speaks at the event. 

The ground breaking and global business promotion ceremony of the Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area was held at Qingdao Port on March 28.

The Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area is a major location for the implementation of Qingdao’s development strategy. The terminal involves the transformation of the old Qingdao Port. This construction involves a significant deployment of resources focusing on the city’s goal of building a new platform for international cooperation under the country’s Belt and Road Initiative, and a historic project for the city’s development over the next century. The terminal area boasts a 9-kilometer shoreline and a 4.2-square-kilometer land area, with a total planned construction area of 5.39 million square meters.

Wang Qingxian, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, addressed the event. Mayor of Qingdao Meng Fanli presided over the ceremony. At 10:52am, Wang Qingxian announced the start of construction of Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area as well as the launch of global business promotion for it.

The ground-breaking and global business promotion ceremony of Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area.

Over 100 construction workers attended the event with their excavators, trucks and other construction tools, being prepared to get to work. The People’s Government of Qingdao signed a cooperation agreement with Shandong Port Group, and inked contracts with a number of partners for 14 industrial projects with a total investment of RMB 31.35 billion.

The transformation and renovation of the area will play a big part in the upgrading and development of the city’s historic urban zones. The area will include the Lehaifang zone featuring a fashion hub, Tanhaifang zone for ocean exploration, the Shanghaifang zone for high-end cruise services, the Tonghaifang zone for ocean-related innovation and integration, and the Juhaifang zone with comprehensive high-quality residential facilities. The zones will complement each other. The transformation and upgrading project will be carried out in three stages and aims to become a main carrier for Qingdao’s construction of the International Shipping Trade and Financial Service Innovation Center, a source of ideas for global resource matching, and the core zone of the China (Qingdao) Pilot Zone for Development of Cruise Tourism.

Relying on the excellent resources at the 100-year-old port, the Qingdao International Cruise Terminal Area will, apart from the innovation center and pilot zone, incorporate four industries, including cruise tourism, financial trade, intelligent innovation and business culture. It will develop into a cluster of open, modern, vigorous and fashionable elements, a new platform for youth development.