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JINAN, China, Nov. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Nov. 24, the Conference of the International Trade and Investment Advisory Council for Shandong Province 2025 was held in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province. Organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Shandong Sub-council, under the theme “Pooling Global Business Wisdom to Drive Innovative Trade Development,” the event brought together over 50 international advisors and delegates from more than 10 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, and Kenya. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on advancing Shandong's green, low-carbon, and high-quality development, deepening institutional openness, and building a modern industrial system, with a view to offering actionable insights to position Shandong as a hub for high-standard international cooperation.
The conference saw the appointment of seven new advisors, further expanding Shandong's international think tank and enhancing the diversity and representation of its advisory mechanism.
During the keynote sessions, 15 advisors – including Dr. Juergen Schmitz, Member of the International Management Committee, ERGO International AG; CEO of ERGO China; Joe Zhou, President of DSM-firmenich China; and Zhan Jingtao, Vice President of Siemens Ltd., China – addressed topics such as green transformation of industrial chains, digital trade, and the pharmaceutical industry. Representatives from six provincial departments responded to the advisors' recommendations and addressed key concerns raised during the discussions.
A total of 18 advisory reports were submitted at the conference, providing international perspectives and strategic pathways to advance Shandong's high-quality development. These reports covered critical areas such as green and low-carbon initiatives, biopharmaceuticals, new quality productive forces, digital economy, and cross-border economic cooperation. The core objective was to help Shandong build a more resilient and competitive open economic system.
Launched in December 2021, the advisory mechanism has engaged eminent figures from the global business community as advisors.
Over the past four years, this initiative has focused on pooling international resources, deepening global collaboration, and expanding openness by establishing a robust platform for exchanges between Shandong and the international business community. Its growing influence has positioned the mechanism as a vital bridge for strengthening Shandong's global partnerships and fostering international trade cooperation.
Advisors have submitted over 50 policy recommendations addressing Shandong's key development priorities. 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 steady growth of its green industries. Additionally, in terms of business environment optimization, actionable measures have accelerated “reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, and improve regulation and services,” and align Shandong's business environment with global standards.
The advisory mechanism has also driven the implementation of trade and investment projects by advisor-affiliated entities in Shandong. Over the past four years, advisors have actively engaged in advancing Shandong's green, low-carbon, and high-quality development, fostering mutually beneficial collaboration and reaching a series of cooperative agreements. With strong support from government agencies at all levels, several projects have already materialized. Singapore RGE Group has invested 10 billion yuan in Shandong to construct the world's largest Lyocell fiber production base. DSM-Firmenich has expanded its investment in Yantai-based enterprises, increasing its equity stake to 90.5%. Germany ERGO International is actively advancing capital injections for insurance sector partnerships, with projected investments in Shandong expected to exceed 3.5 billion yuan. Additionally, the Locke Mason (Jinan) Smart Zero-Carbon Factory, jointly developed by Siemens and Locke Mason, has been designated as a “Zero-Carbon Factory” pilot by the Energy Investment Committee of the China Investment Association, marking the first project in Shandong to receive this honor.
Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council
Ms. Zhang, Tel: 86-10-63074558.