As one of China's first batch of coastal cities that opened up to the outside world, Qingdao city of Shandong province has been earnestly expanding international cooperation and exchanges.

In the past three decades, a total of 160 countries and regions have invested in Qingdao, which now hosts more than ten economic and trade offices and about 2,100 branches of foreign funded companies.

Qingdao is also home to more than 100,000 foreign residents, ranking No 4 in China.

Thirty years on, Qingdao has established economic and trade contacts with 212 countries and regions, forged economic cooperative partnerships with 10 foreign cities, including Busan of South Korea, Kyoto of Japan and San Francisco of the United States, and formed Partner Cities of BRIC Countries relationships with Rio de Janeiro of Brazil, St. Petersburg of Russia, Mumbai of India and Durban of South Africa.

There are 27 foreign-funded financial and insurance institutions in Qingdao, accounting for more than 90 percent of Shandong province’s total number of foreign financial and insurance institutions.

In 2013, the number of entry and exit number of people at Qingdao International Airport surpassed 2.21 million. Each year, more than 5,000 foreign experts come to work in Qingdao, statistics show.