Coastal area prospers despite world in crisis

Shandong province has made "significant progress in the course of opening up and development" despite the ongoing world economic crisis, Shandong Governor Jiang Daming said at the provincial people's congress, which concluded on Feb 24.

The province's GDP grew 10.9 percent in 2011 to 4.5 trillion yuan, making it the third province to surpass the 4-trillion-yuan mark after Guangdong and Jiangsu.

Jiang attributed the growth to the province's strategy of simultaneously developing traditional and emerging industries.