On the afternoon of March 30th, 2021, the kick-off of the cloud promotion campaign named Fresh Opportunities for Jinan with the theme of Join Jinan for a Win-Win Future, was unveiled in the Rongmeiti (Convergence Media) Studio of Jinan Daily Newspaper Group (JDNG) Building. As the reporter learnt, this event was the second cooperation between Jinan Investment Promotion Bureau (JIPB) and JDNG, following the online investment promotion activities last year.  

JIPB, an important player in boosting the economic growth of Jinan, the capital city of Shandong province, actively follows the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin and grasps the strategic opportunity of advancing the city’s growth, seeking to provide continuous impetus for its progress through exploration, innovation and solid work in investment promotion. While JDNG, a pioneer in the reform and development of the mass media across the city, adheres to the vision of “Great Integration” based on the modes of “Media + Government + Service” and “Urban Growth Accompanied by Integrated Media Development”, taking a positive part in shaping a new media landscape. And it throws itself to energize the city’s development and thus, an integrated media picture of Jinan mode with Shandong’s characteristics has come into being.  

This cloud promotion campaign, rolled out by the joint effort of the two, is committed to extending Jinan’s presence around the world, showing its fresh development opportunities in key fields. It aims to display the city’s new image and advantages in economic and social development and investment environment in an all-round way, thus deepening its communication with domestic and foreign businesses.  

New Opportunities for the New Era 

Jinan Promises Strong Support for Investors 

“In the new era, Jinan provides you with new opportunities, new platforms, new policies and new services for your investment and development here,” said Yin Qingzhong, deputy mayor of the city. He made a commitment that the government would offer strong support for investors’ convenience and strive to shape Jinan into a place for passionate dream builders.  

Using cloud platform on the spot, he introduced all the new opportunities in a systematic way to multinational companies, well-known enterprises, financial institutions and business associations, further drawing the attention of domestic and foreign businesses and thus strengthening their confidence to invest in Jinan. He added, “The fresh opportunities come out of the new growth blueprint, out of the major national strategy of the Yellow River basin, and also out of the government’s solid support for a better business environment.” 

“Today, Jinan is blending into and serving the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. We, following the new orientation, new aims and new requirements presented by the provincial Party committee and government, vigorously seize the strategic opportunities of “Strengthening Provincial Capital” to speed up Jinan’s progress in scientific and technological innovation, smart manufacturing, ecological progress, cultural advancement and make it a better place to live. We can see a new landscape featuring a strong East part of Jinan, prosperous West, beautiful South, emerging North and superior Middle is taking shape,” said Zhang Jun, deputy secretary general of Jinan government and director of JIPB, “Investors and companies will embrace a broad platform to play as well as a great space to deepen cooperation in various fieldswith us and others.” 

Following are the speeches made by Sun Meng, director assistant of Jinan High-Tech District Administrative Committee and chief of Investment Promotion Department, Zhang Yong, deputy director of Jinan Pioneer Area Administrative Committee, and Zhang Ji, deputy director of Jinan Medical Center Administrative Committee. 

“In recent years, Jinan High-Tech District is committed to high-quality development and has joined hands with Jinan Pilot Free Trade Zone, Jinan Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Zhangjin Comprehensive Bonded Zone to complement each other’s advantages, creating a service-oriented platform for economic growth,” said Zhang Meng, “During the Fourteenth Five-Year Period, the High-Tech District will give a full play of the scientific, institutional and policy advantages with institutional reform and a better climate for innovation and startups as its underpinning, and put high priority to fostering industries and enterprises with international competitiveness. All these efforts will lead to a pilot zone featuring innovation-driven and high-quality development and further opening up.” 

“The building of Jinan Pioneer Zone has been written into Outline of Ecological Protection and High Quality Development for the Yellow River Basin and listed into National Economic and Social Development Plan 2021,” as Zhang Yong told us, “The Pioneer Zone devotes itself to promote the integrated application of Green Technology + Green Industry, oriented by Carbon Neutral, to build one of the largest green city demonstration zones across China. And we have been exploring to apply BIM + CIM in order to forge a digital, modern and smart city demonstration zone and we had initially defined the high-end equipment and smart manufacturing, digital economy, high-end exhibition, hydrogen energy, high-end green development as the five leading industries. Besides, we adhere to project-centered mode with leading government officials assisting key projects and all-sided service.” 

And Zhang Ji showed, “Jinan Medical Center upholds City-Industry Integration with Industry as its Mainstay, guided by high-end medical service, in order to create a balanced industry circle with medical care, education, research, industry, health maintenance and service. It will set up four centers, including medical center, life science and technology innovation center, rehabilitation demonstration center and smart-life center. All these will contribute to build the place into a city-industry integrated, ecological, smart, international and green place.” He added, “During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, we will strive to build more than 20 high-end clinical research centers (specialized hospitals), over 300 research companies (organizations). A balanced industry circle and a medical system are taking shape with a covered area of 12 million sq. m, over 130 million RMByuan in investment, a total output value of over 50 million RMB yuan and 240 thousand permanent residents.” 

First Cloud Promotion Campaign Attracts Millions of FOLLOWERS 

Four-Leveled Convergence Media Promotes Jinan in an All-Round Way 

According to incomplete statistics, as of 6:00 p.m. on March 30th, the first cloud promotion activity, covered by over 60 media including apps of People’s Daily, Xuexi, Phoenix News, The Paper and TouTiao and other well-known news websites or apps across the country, has been read for tens of millions of times with more than 5 million followers in total. All this shows that media plays an important role in presenting Jinan.  

It is reported that this campaign, initiated on March 30th, will be ended in June. It is extended both online and offline, including one city level comprehensive campaign, 12 events in districts and counties and N times of special activities (in zones and on apps), which is “1 + 12 + N” for short. It uses an integrated promotion with four-leveled convergence media (CCTV + provincial + city + district/county). Supported by the Rongmeiti Studio of JDNG, the activities will be covered by new media apps including LoveJinan under JDNG, Xinshibao, shun.com and Jinan app as well as Jinan Daily and Jinan Times.  

Besides, all the activities will be lively broadcasted on national platforms such as Xuexi, people.com.cn, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV, and leading platforms such as Wechat, Weibo, TikTok, Baidu, Sohu, TouTiao, and economic media such as Economic Daily, 36Kr and Phoenix. Moreover, they will be forwarded on hundreds of media, including the Party media, sub-provincial apps and overseas media. All these effort will help Jinan be well-known across China and beyond.  

“Online and Offline Investment” Opens Up a New Way 

Jinan Investment Expected to Achieve a “Good Start” in the First Quarter 

2021 is both the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan period and the first year for Jinan to implement the national strategy of the Yellow River basin and build Shandong into a modern and prosperous province in the new era. “Attracting businesses and investment is the most direct and effective way to expand total volume, improve quality, and optimize development structure,” said Sun Licheng, member of the Standing Committee of CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and secretary of municipal Party committee of Jinan. An official from JIPB showed, “Following the strategy of Strengthening Provincial Capital, we will offer strong support to help Jinan improve its functions as a provincial capital and raise its urban primacy ratio.”  

As the reporter learnt, cloud activities like cloud promotion and cloud investment manifest the vitality of Jinan and its innovation capability and driving force.  

Statistics show that in the first two months of 2021, the actual use of foreign capital in Jinan was US$310 million, with an increase of 28.5% over last year, ranking the second in Shandong in terms of total amount, registering a strong uptrend. The project scheduling indicates that the first three months will continue to maintain a double-digit growth, which is expected to achieve a “good start” in the first quarter. 

What’s more, in five days’ time, i.e., from the signing of key foreign investment projects in Shandong on March 18th to the Meeting of Deepening Cooperation between Shandong and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on March 23rd, Jinan had holden two provincial signing activities, which were carried forward both online and offline, with 14 projects signed and US$1.354 billion recorded. 

These fascinating figures have been witnessing the concerted effort made by all people across Jinan and all levels of government staff of the city in pursuing the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin and in grasping the important opportunities of strengthening the provincial capital as well as in exploration, innovation and solid work to bring in more businesses and investment. 

Reported by Xu Kai  

Edited by Shi Mengfei