With the Zhaoyuan Economic Development Zone approved as a national economic zone on Oct 8, Shandong is now home to nine state-level economic development zones.

Seven of them are located at Shandong Peninsula, giving momentum to the province`s maritime economy.

The Chinese central government approved the peninsula`s expansion as a part of the nation`s regional development strategy in January.

The peninsula has a coastline spanning more than 3,000 kilometers along the cities of Qingdao, Dongying, Yantai, Weihai, Weifang, Rizhao and Binzhou within the province, and has a sea area of 160,000 square kilometers.

Shandong has launched more than 300 projects to speed up its maritime economic development.

By Zhao Ruixue (China Daily Shandong Bureau)