Dongjiakou Economic Zone of Qingdao Forges Ahead to Usher in a New Development Landscape

　　In 2023, the fixed asset investment of Dongjiakou Economic Zone rose by 25% year on year, and its industrial output value increased by 17.7% year on year. Dongjiakou Chemical Industrial Park was awarded multiple honors, including National Smart Chemical Industrial Park, one of China’s Top 10 Most Promising Chemical Industrial Parks of 2023, and a chemical park with the highest national safety rating. Centering on green and low-carbon development, the zone expanded and strengthened the high-end chemical new materials industry, accelerated the integrated development of port, industry and city, and delivered steady economic growth with improved quality.

　　As a national circular economy demonstration zone and a key functional area of Qingdao, Dongjiakou Economic Zone has forged ahead along the green development path under the national dual-carbon goals. It has extended, supplemented and strengthened industrial chains, made solid progress in building green parks and translating research achievements into real productivity, and yielded remarkable results. The zone keeps contributing its strength to helping Qingdao build a national pioneer city in modern industries.

　　At the start of 2024, construction work is in full swing across the zone. The pilot base of Dongjiakou New Materials & Green Chemical Science and Innovation Park, invested and built by Dongjiakou Development Group, has topped out. As a key priority project under Qingdao’s urban renewal initiative, it is expected to be fully completed and put into operation in June 2025.

　　Rebuilt from inefficient land, the base will rank among China’s top-tier pilot research facilities. It will focus on pilot-scale transformation of scientific and technological achievements in polymer new materials, advanced metal materials, high-end equipment, hydrogen energy and marine biomedicines, and can support the pilot testing of over 60 R&D outcomes. Upon operation, it will effectively boost the total industrial output of Dongjiakou Chemical Industrial Park, and grow into a cradle for technological innovation, a testing ground for industrial projects and a magnet for high-end talents in the West Coast New Area.

　　'Last year, we carried out 47 internal technological renovation projects and completed 38 of them, including waste heat recycling and organic wastewater reuse upgrades. These projects cut coal consumption equivalent by 8,518.95 tons and generated economic benefits of 15.59 million yuan in total,' said Yan Peng, Director of the Production Technology Department of Jinneng Chemical.

　　In 2023, Jinneng Chemical made continuous breakthroughs in low-carbon upgrading, energy conservation and emission reduction. Leveraging the convenient port, highway and railway transportation in Dongjiakou Economic Zone, and integrating chemical pipeline corridors as well as the company’s underground liquefied petroleum gas storage caverns, the enterprise explored innovative circular economy models and achieved outstanding results.

　　At the end of 2023, Jinneng Chemical (Qingdao) was listed as a National Green Factory by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for its outstanding performance in green development. This honor not only embodies the company’s achievements in implementing the dual-carbon strategy, but also serves as a vivid example of Dongjiakou Economic Zone’s efforts to enhance the innovation capacity of the green and low-carbon new materials industrial park, and drive the industry toward large-scale development, clustering and ecological operation.

　　'In 2024, we will continue to build a green, low-carbon and safe industrial park. We will formulate and implement a renovation plan for the circular transformation of the park, and press ahead with 20 key circular transformation projects with a total investment of 12.4 billion yuan. We aim to raise the industrial water reuse rate of the chemical park to over 94% and the comprehensive utilization rate of general industrial solid waste to over 90%,' said Ding Xing, Deputy Director of the Economic Development Department of Dongjiakou Economic Zone Administrative Committee.

　　In addition, the zone will cooperate with teams from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to optimize the design of the smart park and start construction of an emergency command center, so as to lift the intrinsic safety level of the park through digital and information-based management.

　　A sound business environment underpins enterprise development. Always taking enterprises as the core and problem-solving as the priority, Dongjiakou Economic Zone has rolled out innovative service measures and taken the optimization of the business environment as a key driver for project advancement and economic growth.

　　It has established regular service mechanisms including joint meetings, on-site work teams for enterprises, one-on-one dedicated services, special project teams and transparent government services. Authorities deliver policy support, professional services and safety guidance, and work face-to-face with project developers and entrepreneurs to resolve difficulties. In 2023, the zone helped enterprises secure a total of 495 million yuan in subsidies and rewards at all levels. Its experience in transparent government services was promoted across Qingdao.

　　The project promotion team of the zone delivered proactive services in 2023. It coordinated to resolve issues such as fragmented land plots for Gulf Chemical Project, accelerated land mortgage release and repurchase procedures, arranged the design and construction of flood drainage ditches by Dongjiakou Development Group to prevent rainwater from flowing into the construction site of Mierkewei Project in rainy seasons, and mediated among Huiheng, Fengdali and Mierkewei to reach an agreement on boundary walls, ensuring smooth project construction.

　　A regular work system featuring weekly scheduling, timely progress tracking and efficient problem-solving was put in place. Staff conducted regular inspections on all projects, handled on-site problems immediately, and created task lists for unsolved issues with clear responsible parties and deadlines. Frontline work greatly accelerated administrative procedures for projects. Throughout 2023, more than 30 problems concerning sewage drainage, steam supply, access roads and land use were solved. These cases fully reflect the fundamental shift from 'enterprises running errands' to 'government taking the initiative to serve'.

　　'In 2024, Dongjiakou Economic Zone will seize major opportunities brought by green and low-carbon high-quality development and policy support from provincial, municipal and district authorities. We will forge ahead as pioneers, focus on five key areas: building a green and low-carbon petrochemical industrial base, developing a world-class ocean port, constructing a green, low-carbon and safe chemical park, advancing urban renewal and fostering a first-class business environment. We plan to introduce more than 20 industrial chain projects each with an investment exceeding 100 million yuan, and maintain the industrial economy growth rate above 20%, making greater contributions to the high-quality development of Qingdao,' said Jiao Ji, Deputy Director of Dongjiakou Economic Zone Administrative Committee.

　　(Reported by Duan Shanshan)