Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, hosted a city promotion and investment matchmaking event on capital investment and equity cooperation on June 18 during the sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit.

Jinan Mayor Yu Haitian delivered a keynote speech, highlighting the city's strong industrial base, strategic location, and favorable business environment and extending a warm invitation to global investors.

Jinan has experienced rapid growth in urban capacity and overall competitiveness in recent years, with its GDP reaching 1.35 trillion yuan ($186 billion) in 2024.

"Jinan has a strong industrial foundation and looks forward to sharing new drivers of growth with global partners," said Yu.

The city's four pillar industries-next-generation information technology, intelligent manufacturing, advanced materials, and biomedicine-collectively generated over 1.6 trillion yuan in output.

Revenue from industrial enterprises above the designated scale surpassed 1 trillion yuan, with high-tech industries accounting for 59 percent of the total output. It is also China's only city designated as a pilot zone for AI innovation, industrial internet, and intelligent applications.

Jinan boasts strong scientific research resources and is advancing an innovation-driven development strategy, with R&D investment reaching 2.94 percent of its GDP. The city is home to 20 national key laboratories, three provincial laboratories, and 126 key labs at the Shandong provincial level.

Jinan's transportation network further enhances its competitiveness, with 446 kilometers of high-speed railway, 171 air routes, and China-Europe freight trains reaching 23 countries. The city connects the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta, making it a vital logistics and trade hub.

According to Yu, Jinan offers a highly internationalized business environment. The city is now home to over 1.53 million market entities, including 1,792 foreign-invested enterprises.