An Investment of 70 Billion Yuan in Five Years: Shandong to Build a New Qingdao Port in Dongjiakou

　　Qingdao, a city born and thriving by the sea, is drawing a new blueprint to build a new Qingdao Port centered on Dongjiakou. During the 2026 National Two Sessions, Qingdao announced that over 70 billion yuan will be invested in Dongjiakou in the 15th Five-Year Plan period to develop a new port complex, which will greatly boost Qingdao Port’s cargo handling capacity. This move is not only a proactive step for Qingdao Port to break through development bottlenecks, but also a key initiative for Shandong to build a world-class marine port cluster and serve national strategies, injecting strong momentum into the province’s port and shipping industry.

Why Build a New Port and Why Choose Dongjiakou?

　　The answers lie in the current development of Qingdao Port and Shandong’s strategic layout.

　　According to the Master Plan of Qingdao Port (2035), the port’s cargo throughput is expected to reach 810 million tons by 2035. As the current core area, Qianwan Port Area is constrained by limited land space and urban integration demands, with its handling capacity approaching the upper limit. Meanwhile, Dongjiakou Port Area has long been troubled by the mismatch between its large port scale and insufficient transportation links. The Qingdao-Lianyungang Railway, its major freight corridor, was designed for an annual freight volume of 30.9 million tons, yet the actual throughput hit 36.86 million tons in 2024. The inadequate transport network has become a major obstacle to its growth.

　　Against the backdrop of the accelerated restructuring of global supply chains, Shandong is in urgent need of strengthening its ports as pivotal hubs for opening-up. As a comprehensive port area with the largest planned land area and the most berths among all ports in Shandong, Dongjiakou stands out as the ideal choice to accommodate the growing cargo volume and undertake the mission of building a new Qingdao Port.

　　Dongjiakou’s solid strengths have been forged through years of steady development. Standing at the 400,000-ton ore terminal in Dongjiakou, giant ship unloaders operate efficiently like steel giants. Large vessels berth for loading and unloading, connecting trade routes linking China with the rest of the world. In October 2025, the second 400,000-ton ore terminal was put into operation. Qingdao Port thus became the first port in China equipped with intelligent 400,000-ton dry bulk terminals, as well as the first in northern China to boast two 400,000-ton ore terminals.

　　This progress represents far more than a numerical increase; it marks an overall upgrade of operational capacity. Dongjiakou has acquired robust hardware to serve as a core hub for the global transportation of bulk commodities such as iron ore. Besides its superior deep-water shoreline resources, Dongjiakou has also fostered a solid industrial foundation. The port drives the growth of related industries, and four industrial clusters each with an output value exceeding 100 billion yuan are taking shape rapidly, covering high-end chemicals and new materials, modern logistics and trade. Its green development model featuring circular economy and innovation-driven new material technology bases further underpin the in-depth integration of ports and industries.

　　Currently, the construction of the new Qingdao Port in Dongjiakou is in full swing. In 2025, Qingdao Port launched a batch of major port projects with a total investment of around 77 billion yuan, many of which are located in Dongjiakou. The Phase I of the eastern container terminal and the general cargo terminal at the Langya Bay operation area, with a planned investment of 15.7 billion yuan, are being constructed simultaneously. Upon completion in 2029, they will add an annual handling capacity of 3.2 million TEUs and 14.33 million tons of general cargo.

　　Breakthroughs have also been made in developing major port access routes. At the end of 2025, the construction of the Dongjiakou-Wulian Railway and the capacity expansion project of the Jiaozhou-Xinyi Railway officially started, with a total investment of approximately 17.577 billion yuan. Running across Qingdao, Weifang, Rizhao and Linyi, the railway is scheduled to open to traffic in 2028 and will lift Dongjiakou Port’s annual railway freight throughput beyond 110 million tons.

　　The development of the new Qingdao Port in Dongjiakou will bring far-reaching impacts to the whole province. First, it will greatly enhance the overall strength of Shandong’s port cluster. Once the Dongjiakou-Wulian Railway and the upgraded Jiaozhou-Xinyi Railway are completed, combined with the capacity expansion of Qianwan Port Area, the total railway handling capacity of the two major port areas of Qingdao Port will surpass 200 million tons, accelerating Shandong’s drive to build a world-class marine port cluster.

　　Second, connected to national trunk lines including the Watang-Rizhao Railway and Yanzhou-Shijiu Railway, Dongjiakou extends Qingdao Port’s economic hinterland to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and the central plains of China. It makes Shandong a vital outlet to the sea for the Yellow River Basin and unblocks logistics channels linking the province with inland regions. In addition, the new port railway connecting Qingdao, Weifang, Rizhao and Linyi will boost the integrated development of the Jiaodong Economic Circle, amplify Qingdao’s radiating and driving effect on southern and central Shandong, and facilitate coordinated regional development across the province.

　　With over 70 billion yuan of investment being gradually delivered, a new Dongjiakou port featuring more berths, stronger operational capacity and superior industrial layout is rising rapidly. This initiative to build a new Qingdao Port symbolizes Qingdao Port’s transformation from a large port to a strong one, and will also serve as a powerful pillar for Shandong to implement national strategies and pursue high-quality development.