Jinan becomes a second-tier global city

Wang Zhonglin, Party secretary of Jinan and also a deputy of the 13th National People Congress answers the questions for press in Beijing on March 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wang Zhonglin, Party secretary of Jinan and also a deputy of the 13th National People Congress answered the questions for press in Beijing on March 6, as Jinan looks to improve its national and international reputation.

Jinan, capital city of East China's Shandong province has become a global second-tier city, thanks to a series of measures taken last year.

As for urban construction, the city has clamped down on buildings that do not have the approval of authorities for more than 30 million square meters and returned the space to the public. It has focused itself on further optimizing urban services to provide more convenient services for residents such as an annual health inspection for elderly pensioners.

Additionally, Jinan city has ramped up efforts to promote opening-up. In 2018, the number of outbound and inbound passengers at Jinan Airport reached 1.25 million, up 55 percent year-on-year. More and more foreigners have begun to familiarize themselves with Jinan city and looked for more cooperation.

During the year, the city signed a total of 23 foreign-invested projects with Fortune Global 500 companies, with an investment of $8.3 billion.

For several years, foreign investment has played an active role in economic development and promoted its foreign trade, technological progress and industrial upgrading. Jinan's capital market also provides a wide range of opportunities for foreign companies.

By providing a fairer and more convenient investment environment, the government hopes to attract more investment from foreign enterprises.