A semi-submerged ship with a 20,000 deadweight tons capacity was delivered from Qingdao, Shandong province to the Arctic Pole this June for the Yamal Liquefied Natural Gas Project, involving China and Russia.

So far, Qingdao has formed trade links with 67 cities in more than 30 countries across six continents. What's more, the city, as one of China's most important port cities, now serves as a major trade hub along the new Eurasian Continental Bridge economic corridor and is set to become a major component in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Qingdao's connections have laid a solid foundation for the city's companies to play an active role in the global economy.

In April, one of the world's biggest home appliance suppliers Haier, for example, poured $55 million into a manufacturing base at Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia. The new factory will have the capacity to manufacture up to 750,000 refrigerators a year. Its products are exported from there to the surrounding countries, with the first batch of refrigerators recently being put on the market.

Haier has already set up eight industrial parks and 18 manufacturing bases abroad, with the capacity to manufacture around 10 million refrigerators, according to the firm's director, adding that most are in Belt and Road countries.

The SEPCOⅢ Electric Power Construction Corp has contracts for 29 projects in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe along the Belt and Road, with contract values totaling $20 billion.

Qingdao has cooperated with Belt and Road countries on 102 key projects, worth $60 billion.

To help Qingdao businesses familiarize themselves with overseas investment policies, customs procedures and commercial environments; Qingdao's CNQC Qingjian Group has established partnerships with Haier, Hisense, and a number of other Qingdao-based multinational companies to help them develop overseas. The Group has been operating for over 30 years and has a well-connected network in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Qingdao also launched 10 funds, totaling 90 billion yuan ($13.56 billion) to help with financing for local businesses.