Shizhong district in Jinan, Shandong province, has achieved significant progress in high-quality industrial development, according to a news conference on July 22.

In 2023 and 2024, the district’s total output value of enterprises above the designated size reached 15.57 billion yuan ($2.17 billion) and 17.78 billion yuan respectively, ranking first in Jinan for two consecutive years.

In recent years, Shizhong district has been working to boost industrial growth by modernizing manufacturing, supporting urban growth, promoting technological innovation, and fostering new quality productive forces.

Leveraging its energy resources, the district has showed strong growth in advanced energy and manufacturing, nurturing a number of backbone enterprises, such as Shandong Electric Power Equipment and Siemens. Over the past three years, 330 energy-related industrial projects have been launched with a total investment exceeding 90 billion yuan, fueling the development of its emerging industry clusters.

A series of industrial chain clusters have taken shape, bringing together leading enterprises in artificial intelligence, new energy equipment, aerospace information, high-end software enterprises. Focusing on new energy vehicle manufacturing and core parts production, the district is actively attracting major projects and nurturing high-quality enterprises in the automotive industry.

The district has accelerated manufacturing transformation and upgrading through digital and intelligent technologies. A total of 5,481 5G base stations and 14,500 kilometers of deterministic networks have been built, providing strong support for new industrialization.

A series of policies have been implemented to optimize the business environment and promote industrial transformation. In 2024, the number of provincial-level gazelle enterprises in the district increased to 22, a 2.6-fold year-on-year increase. The district is also making active efforts to attract talent, recruiting over 300 overseas returnees and 20,000 young professionals annually to support its pursuit of high-quality development.