Shandong GDP surpasses 10 trln yuan

Shandong, a major manufacturing hub that has all 41 categories in the United Nations' industrial classification system, has become the third province in China to exceed a gross domestic product of 10 trillion yuan, following Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces.

The milestone, announced on Friday, has been largely driven by the province's efforts to cultivate new quality productive forces, upgrade traditional industries and foster emerging sectors, with technological innovations leading the way.

As a province with a complete industrial system, Shandong has listed the industrial economy as its top priority, focusing on enhancing the proportion of innovation, high value-added and green elements to drive high-quality industrial development.

Last year, the added value of industrial enterprises in Shandong increased by 7.6 percent year-on-year. The province's investment in transforming industrial technology to advanced ones increased by 5.3 percent year-on-year.

In the emerging sector, the output of industrial robots, electronic components and semiconductor discrete devices has maintained rapid growth in Shandong.

"Shandong's industrial structure is upgrading from traditional heavy chemical industry to high-end manufacturing," said Gao Fuyi, deputy director of the Shandong Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

"This transformation has made the 10 trillion yuan GDP more resilient and valuable," he said.

Last year, the world's first metro train constructed using carbon fiber material made its debut in the province's coastal city, Qingdao.

Developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang and Qingdao Metro, the metro train offers advantages such as weight reduction and energy efficiency.

"By employing carbon fiber composite materials, the train achieves an impressive 11 percent weight reduction compared to traditional metal trains, leading to enhanced energy efficiency with a 7 percent decrease in operational energy consumption," said Liu Jinzhu, a senior designer at CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

In another case, a recent technology achievement matchmaking conference on supercritical carbon dioxide power generation was held at Jigang Group Co Ltd based in Jinan, the provincial capital, aiming to promote the wide application of this cutting-edge technology in industrial fields.

Wang Mingnan, chairman of Jigang International Engineering Technology Co Ltd, said that the supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology can be widely applied in steel, coking, cement and other industrial sectors, efficiently converting waste heat from production processes into electrical energy.

This innovative technology perfectly meets the green transformation needs of Shandong's traditional industries such as steel, chemical engineering, building materials, light industry and papermaking.