The Weihai municipal government held investment talks in Beijing on March 30 for 202 projects located within the city’s marine economy zone, which will involve an anticipated total investment of 284.7 billion yuan ($43.5 billion).

Contracts for as many as 20 of the 202 projects were signed during the talks, guaranteeing an investment of more than 45 billion yuan.

The 202 projects come from a wide range of marine-related sectors, including the aqua-culture industry, pelagic fishery, marine organisms, marine new materials, marine equipment manufacture, energy-saving, environmental protection, marine products processing, maritime logistics, maritime tourism and water conservation work.

“Weihai will work hard towards becoming a top region within the Shandong Peninsula Marine Economic Zone. Weihai will focus on building a high-end marine industries zone, a pilot zone for regional economic cooperation between South Korea, Japan and China and a demonstration zone for ecological human settlement at the seaside,” said Sun Shutao, mayor of Weihai.

The Shandong peninsula stretches across Qingdao, Dongying, Yantai, Weifang, Weihai, Rizhao and a part of Binzhou. It is located in a key area joining the Bohai-rim economic zone with the Yangtze River Delta.

The State Council named the Shandong peninsula as a pilot zone for the nation's marine economy in January 2010, and since then Shandong has put great efforts into developing it, making the peninsula a hot spot for investors from China and abroad.

Weihai has set a target for the output value from its marine economy of 35 percent of Weihai’s total output value by 2015.

To achieve the target, Weihai has been building six bases for marine products processing, ship-building, port logistics, maritime tourism, new energy development and petrochemical industries.

Meanwhile, the city is wooing 235 talents from both China and abroad. Nearly 80 posts need applicants possessing doctorate degrees.

Currently Weihai is seeking talents qualified to work in the fields of marine scientific and technological development, electronic information, advanced equipment manufacturing, new materials, petrochemicals, financial services, port logistics, exhibition services, maritime tourism, maritime mining industry, biological medicine, new energy and energy-saving technologies.

By Ju Chuanjiang and Zhao Ruixue ( China Daily Shandong Bureau)

Editor: Dong Jirong