China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council
JINAN, China, Nov. 25, 2025 — The 2025 Conference of the International Trade and Investment Advisory Council for Shandong Province convened on November 24 in Jinan, located in east China’s Shandong Province. Organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Shandong Sub-council, and operating under the theme “Pooling Global Business Wisdom to Drive Innovative Trade Development,” the event gathered over 50 international advisors and delegates. These participants hailed from more than 10 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, and Kenya. They engaged in extensive discussions focused on advancing Shandong’s green, low-carbon, and high-quality development, deepening institutional openness, and establishing a modern industrial system, with the goal of providing actionable insights to solidify Shandong’s position as a hub for high-standard international collaboration.
During the conference, seven new advisors were appointed, which further broadened Shandong’s international expert network and enhanced the diversity and representation of its advisory mechanism.
Keynote sessions featured 15 advisors, including Dr. Juergen Schmitz (Member of the International Management Committee, ERGO International AG, and CEO of ERGO China), Joe Zhou (President of DSM-firmenich China), and Zhan Jingtao (Vice President of Siemens Ltd., China). They addressed topics such as the green transformation of industrial chains, digital trade, and the pharmaceutical industry. Representatives from six provincial departments subsequently responded to the advisors’ recommendations and addressed significant concerns raised during the discussions.
A total of 18 advisory reports were submitted at the conference, offering international perspectives and strategic pathways to foster Shandong’s high-quality development. These reports covered crucial areas such as green and low-carbon initiatives, biopharmaceuticals, new quality productive forces, the digital economy, and cross-border economic cooperation. The central objective was to help Shandong construct a more resilient and competitive open economic system.
Launched in December 2021, the advisory mechanism has consistently attracted prominent figures from the global business community to serve as advisors.
Over the past four years, this initiative has prioritized gathering international resources, intensifying global collaboration, and promoting openness. It achieves this by providing a robust platform for dialogue between Shandong and the global business community. Its increasing influence has solidified the mechanism’s role as a vital bridge for reinforcing Shandong’s international partnerships and advancing global trade cooperation.
Advisors have provided more than 50 policy recommendations addressing Shandong’s primary development goals. For the provincial green, low-carbon, high-quality development pilot zones, proposals informed by international best practices have been integrated into provincial plans, contributing to Shandong’s sustained reductions in energy consumption per unit of GDP and the consistent expansion of its green industries. Furthermore, regarding the optimization of the business environment, practical measures have expedited “reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, and improve regulation and services,” bringing Shandong’s business climate in line with global standards.
The advisory mechanism has also facilitated the execution of trade and investment projects in Shandong by entities linked to its advisors. Over the last four years, advisors have played a proactive role in promoting Shandong’s green, low-carbon, and high-quality development, fostering mutually beneficial collaboration, and finalizing numerous cooperative agreements. Thanks to robust backing from government bodies at all levels, several projects have come to fruition. For instance, Singapore’s RGE Group has committed 10 billion yuan to establish the world’s largest Lyocell fiber production base in Shandong. DSM-Firmenich has expanded its investments in Yantai-based businesses, raising its equity holding to 90.5%. Germany’s ERGO International is actively pursuing capital infusions for insurance sector partnerships, with anticipated investments in Shandong projected to surpass 3.5 billion yuan. Moreover, the Locke Mason (Jinan) Smart Zero-Carbon Factory, a joint venture between Siemens and Locke Mason, has been recognized as a “Zero-Carbon Factory” pilot by the Energy Investment Committee of the China Investment Association, making it the first project in Shandong to achieve this distinction.
Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council
CONTACT: Ms. Zhang, Tel: 86-10-63074558.
