Over the recent more than five years, the Qingdao FTZ has newly introduced 88 projects from Fortune Global 500 companies. 

As a pioneering area for Qingdao’s opening-up, the Qingdao Area of China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which was founded more than five years ago, has newly introduced 88 projects invested by Fortune Global 500 enterprises, and boasted a total of 182 such projects. After Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Maersk, Siemens, Continental and Trafigura have made their presence in succession, the west bank of the Jiaozhou Bay ranks among the areas in Qingdao where the highest number of Fortune Global 500-invested projects are located.

After analysis of 182 projects invested by Fortune Global 500, a number of these global companies have launched more than one project in a sign of these corporate giants’ confidence in the future of the area. Beyond the rising number, the projects tend to play an increasingly important role. The Siemens Industry 4.0 Innovation Center, which has already been put into official operation, is the first intelligent manufacturing innovation center for industry 4.0 applications the group has set up outside Germany. Once completion, the Auto Parts Technology Center of Continental Group will function as an important technical R&D center in the Asia-Pacific region. Buoyed of projects funded by Fortune Global 500 companies, top five sectors, namely, modern marine industry, shipping logistics, modern finance, international trade and advanced manufacturing are opening a new chapter of fast growth in the Qingdao FTZ, where the modern industry system has been much improved.  (Wang Kai)