Qingdao is a city in eastern Shandong Province on the east coast of China. It is a city specifically designated in the state plan, a megacity, a sub-provincial city, the economic center of Shandong Province, a coastal important central city of China, a coastal city for resort and tourism, an international port city, an important pilot zone for development of modern marine industry of China, an international shipping hub of Northeast Asia, a marine sports base, a main hub in the economic corridor of New Eurasian Land Bridge of “the Belt and Road” and a pivot of marine cooperation strategy.

Qingdao is located on the southeast coast of Shandong Peninsula, in the frontal zone of China-Japan-South Korea free trade area. It has a total area of 11,282 km2, administering 7 districts and managing 3 county-level cities. In 2018, its total number of permanent residents was 92 040 000 and its total regional GDP was RMB 1,20000,000,000 Yuan.

Qingdao is the host city of sailing races of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and of the 13th Paralympic Games, known as the Sailing City of China, the Best Sailing City of Asia, the World Beer City, the "City of Film" designated by the United Nations, and one of the first coastal open-up cities of China.

Qingdao is an international marine scientific research and education center where reside 26 universities such as Shandong University (Qingdao Campus), Ocean University of China, China University of Petroleum. Another 29 universities such as Tsinghua University and Peking University have been introduced into Qingdao. There are diversified exotic-style architectures in Qingdao, so it is called “the Universal Exposition of Architectures”. The architectural complex in Eight Great Passes was awarded the title of “the Most Beautiful Urban Area of China”.

Qingdao, an economic powerhouse with strong manufacturing strength that is located in the eastern coastal area of Shandong province, has been a major magnet for foreign investors in China.

According to statistics from the Qingdao Market Supervision Bureau, by the end of March 2022, Qingdao had 13,924 foreign-funded enterprises, which is an increase of 1.38 percent year-on-year.

In the first quarter of 2022, the city had 160 newly established foreign-funded enterprises with registered capital of $2.01 billion. Among them, there were 52 enterprises each with registered capital of more than 10 million yuan ($1.57 million), accounting for 32.5 percent of the total number of newly established foreign-funded enterprises.

The overwhelming majority of the newly established foreign-funded enterprises are engaged in the tertiary industry, laying a solid foundation for accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading and promoting employment, local officials said.

The Qingdao government has launched a slew of measures to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and keep steady progress in foreign trade and investment. Online service platforms and special teams have been set up in the city to help solve problems such as shortages of anti-epidemic supplies and raw materials.

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, China's business environment has further improved this year with the implementation of foreign investment law and the unveiling of a much shorter negative list, according to a report recently released by the Ministry of Commerce.

The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province has launched a slew of measures and policies to bolster employment to strengthen the country's employment-first policy.

Employment is pivotal to people's well being, said local authorities. Qingdao has prioritized employment in economic and social development, and has carried out a pro-employment strategy and pursued a more proactive employment policy.

In recent years, Qingdao has been ramping up efforts to promote innovation-driven development and has launched a series of preferential policies to attract high-end foreign talents.

Qingdao has also launched measures to protect foreigners' legitimate rights and provide conveniences for their time living and working in the city.

Official statistics show that 5,056 foreigners are working in Qingdao with valid work permits, accounting for 52 percent of the province's total. Among them, 14 have been awarded the Chinese government's friendship award, while 45 have been awarded the Shandong provincial government's friendship award. 

Also, three Qingdao-based expats have received the International Science and Technological Cooperation Award, and 20 have been appointed as special experts by the Qingdao municipal government.