On March 28, 2024, the National Logistics Hub Construction Promotion Conference, jointly hosted by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, Yantai Municipal People's Government, and Shandong Port Group, was held in Yantai. The conference, with the theme of "promoting the development of land port linkage through sea rail intermodal transportation to win the future", aims to summarize and exchange experience in the operation of demonstration logistics parks and national logistics hubs, discuss strategies for improving the quality, efficiency, and cost reduction of the logistics industry in 2024, and promote business cooperation between logistics hubs.

The conference held a series of keynote speeches, promotions, and signing activities in stages. Among them, Liu Guotian, part-time vice president of the China Logistics and Procurement Federation, secretary of the Yantai Port Party Committee and chairman of Shandong Port, promoted the construction of a comprehensive port supply chain service system and a port oriented national logistics hub in Shandong Port. Qingdao Port has signed centralized contracts with Ningxia Tianyuan Logistics, Rizhao Port with Shanxi Hengfu Coal Chemical, Yantai Port with CNOOC Import and Export Corporation and Weiqiao Group, and Bohai Bay Port with Shandong Shipping.

Ports are fundamental and hub facilities, and an important support for economic development. Shandong Port, located at the crossroads of sea and land of the "the Belt and Road", is the most economical and convenient outlet to serve RCEP, the "bridgehead" for Japan, South Korea and ASEAN, and the Great Channel along the Yellow River, land and sea. It is a key "chess eye" and core "hub" in the national strategic layout to drive regional economic and social development and ensure the stability and smoothness of the global industrial chain supply chain.

Since last year, focusing on better serving the national strategy and accelerating high-quality development, Shandong Port has made strategic adjustments to build a "first-class supply chain comprehensive service system relying on the port" core competitive advantage, comprehensively integrating internal and external resources of the port, coordinating traditional and emerging business of the port, attracting the gathering of advantageous resources of the port and shipping industry, accelerating the transformation and upgrading from a "single port operator" to a "supply chain comprehensive service provider", and making every effort to build a leading enterprise in the supply chain, providing customers with full factor and full supply chain services, and better supporting the construction of Yantai Port type national logistics hub city. In 2024, Shandong Port completed and started 32 new projects in Yantai City, driving a total investment of 56.25 billion yuan. Since its establishment, the cumulative landed investment in Yantai has exceeded 30 billion yuan. Yantai Port has accumulated tax payments exceeding 3 billion yuan and contributed more than 130 billion yuan to foreign trade imports and exports.

Under the empowerment of the "Three Major Construction" of Shandong Port, Yantai Port fully leverages the important role of the "One Body, Two Wings" as the northern wing, relying on the unique geographical advantages of the port, complete infrastructure conditions, and thriving characteristic businesses to continuously improve the level of supply chain services. The Yantai Municipal Party Committee and Government attach great importance to "revitalizing the city through port" and have successively issued policies such as the "Three Year Action Plan for Promoting the Integration of Port Industry and City Development" and the "Construction Plan for Global Mineral Products Bonded and Mixed Distribution Center", fully supporting the development of Shandong Port Yantai Port and various sector groups in Yantai.

This time, multiple parties jointly released a research report, and various port groups in Shandong Port signed a series of cooperation agreements with relevant enterprises in Yantai City. They will stand at a new starting point for Yantai City to enter the "trillion level" city club, further amplify the role of port logistics hub, industrial engine, and platform window, and make every effort to create a demonstration model of "integration of the three zones" in port areas, parks, and urban areas, injecting new port energy into Yantai City's development into an international comprehensive transportation hub city and a central city in the Bohai Rim region.

Shandong Port will take this conference as an opportunity to enhance the "high-energy level" of port hubs, promote strong linkage of logistics hubs, improve the "full function" of supply chain hubs, build a "big platform" of port and shipping hubs, expand the national logistics hub linkage development industry chain and value chain, fully leverage the supporting role of port construction and operation entities in the process of building a port type national logistics hub in Yantai City, and make new contributions to ensuring the safety of transportation of important strategic materials, promoting high-quality economic development, and building a new development pattern. Editor/Zhao E