On January 17, the Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province held a press conference, pointing out that in 2022, Shandong Province had closer economic and trade exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road, with the import and export volume surpassing the RMB 1 trillion threshold for the first time, reaching RMB 1.29 trillion, up 38% over 2021.

It is reported that since 2022, the industrial chain cooperation between Shandong Province and countries along the Belt and Road has become even closer. Countries along the Belt and Road are Shandong Province's important sources of imports. In 2022, Shandong's imports from these countries accounted for 46.2% of the province's total, up 12.3%. Countries along the Belt and Road are also Shandong Province's important industrial partners and consumer markets. Shandong Province has exported 59% of steel, 41.5% of basic organic chemicals, 39.6% of plastic products and 33.4% of auto parts to these countries.

At the same time, Shandong has continued to promote infrastructure connectivity with countries along the Belt and Road, facilitating economic and trade exchanges. In 2022, the China-Europe freight trains departing from Shandong Province made a total of 2,057 trips and transported 170,000 TEUs of goods to 55 cities in 24 countries along the Belt and Road. In 2022, Shandong's imports from and exports to countries along the Belt and Road by railway were RMB 35.4 billion, up 30.3%.