Founded in 1892, Qingdao Port consists of four major ports including Dongjiakou port and Qianwan port, and has trade connections with more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions.

Qingdao Port has trade connections with more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Since 2014, Qingdao Port has stepped up restructuring of its major businesses by gradually shifting coal, ore and other dry bulk goods to Dongjiakou port in the West Coast New Area, while speeding up construction of a home port for cruise liners.

Qingdao became the fourth national cruise liner tourism development zone approved by the National Tourism Administration in May 2016, following Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenzhen.

The setup of the cruise liner tourism zone will aid the city's implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and Blue Economy strategies.

As a coastal city, Qingdao aspires to generate 30 percent of its gross domestic product from its marine economy, which will have a projected annual marine GDP growth rate of 10 percent by 2020. Among the marine output, revenue generated from high-tech businesses hit 42 percent, with major breakthroughs in basic research and core technology segments, indicating Qingdao's leadership in ocean technology development.

The city's marine strategy is mainly driven by three development zones: Blue Valley, a leading high-tech zone for marine research; the Hongdao Economic Zone, a significant part of China's innovative development strategy; and the West Coast New Area, which is pursuing several goals, including a deep-sea exploration logistics base, and a center for global marine economic cooperation.