Shandong powers ahead economically

These new drivers of growth have made it possible for Shandong to maintain economic growth even in the face of a complicated or challenging domestic or international environment for development, said Cui Jianhai, spokesman for the Shandong government.

The province's GDP reached 8.31 trillion yuan ($1.23 trillion) last year, a year-on-year increase of 8.3 percent.

And in the first half of this year, GDP amounted to 4.17 trillion yuan, up 3.6 percent year-on-year.

"It's not easy to make these kinds of achievements," said Cui, adding that so far this year, Shandong has taken coordinated steps to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic and to pursue socioeconomic development.

Foreign trade

Shandong's effort to cultivate new drivers of growth has also attracted foreign investment. The province saw foreign trade volume surge to 2.93 trillion yuan last year, an increase of 89 percent compared to that a decade ago, according to the local government.