Weihai International Port Economic and Technological Development District

Weihai International Port Economic and Technological Development District [Photo/wip.gov.cn]

Weihai International Port Economic and Technological Development District in Shandong province, founded in 2005, became a provincial-level development zone in March 20016 and was upgraded to a national-level one under the approval of the State Council in November 2013. It covers 297 square kilometers and has a permanent resident population of 130,000.

The zone is located in the heartland of the Northeast Asia Economic Rim, the China-South Korea Free Trade Area, and the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone. It boasts a complete traffic system, with the Taocun-Weihai Railway, the Qingdao-Weihai Expressway, and Provincial Highway 303 passing through. It is only a 15-minute drive to Weihai Dashuipo International Airport, Weihai Port, and Weihai North Railway Station.

Being the first city in China to win a UN Habitat Award in 2003, Weihai enjoys a beautiful environment and fresh air with rich hot spring resources, as does the zone. There are about 50 universities and colleges around the zone, providing it with enough talents.

After years of development, the zone has cultivated six competitive industries: automobile and parts, new materials and products, high-end equipment manufacturing, food and medicine, stationery and sporting goods, and new generation information technology. More than 100 innovative platforms at or above provincial level have been established. By now, the zone houses more than 470 enterprises.

In 2018, the zone's GDP increased by 7.1 percent year-on-year and the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size rose by 7.64 percent. The yearly growth rate of the prime operating revenue of industrial enterprises above designated size was 7 percent while that of the total profit reached 10.3 percent.