Shandong set to play bigger role in BRI with new ports group

Shandong province will play a bigger role in the Belt and Road Initiative with the help of the newly consolidated Shandong Province Port Group, which will expand its operations into the country's inland areas, industry officials and insiders said.

Launched on Tuesday in Qingdao, the company has integrated the major ports in the province, including Qingdao Port, Yantai Port, Rizhao Port and the Bohai Bay Port Group.

"By integrating port facilities and services, the coastal ports in Shandong province will enhance connections with more 'waterless ports' in inland provinces along the Silk Road Economic Belt," said Huo Gaoyuan, the new group's first chairman, adding that the new group will provide services for hinterland areas involved in the Eurasian Continental Bridge.