Qingdao, a city thriving on maritime, has prioritized international shipping center development as a key urban strategy.

In 2025, marking the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–25), the city achieved new milestones in port performance and global influence.

The port of Qingdao handled over 740 million metric tons of cargo and 32.89 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), with increases of 4.1 percent and 6.5 percent year-on-year,  respectively. This secured its position as fourth globally in cargo throughput and fifth in container volume. Major projects, such as the second 400,000-ton ore terminal and the Shandong Port Shipping Financial Center, were completed.

Qingdao leads in smart and green port development, operating the world's first hydrogen-electric tugboat and establishing the first national AI application pilot base in the port sector. Its automation terminal broke world records for the 13th time.

Efforts to strengthen shipping services — including finance, insurance, and legal support — helped Qingdao rise to 13th in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Index, surpassing Tokyo and Busan for the first time in five years.

Qingdao aims to build an international marine science and technology hub, a modern marine industry cluster, a world-class shipping center, and a platform for global ocean cooperation to further drive its growth as a modern marine city.

Qingdao, a city rooted in maritime strength, prioritizes international shipping center development as a key urban strategy. [Photo/Guanhai News]