The Ministry of Commerce recently announced the results of the 2023 assessment and evaluation of the comprehensive development level of national-level economic and technological development zones. Among the top 100 zones, the number of Shandong's national-level economic and technological development zones increased from three in 2022 to nine, achieving the best result in history.

Up to now, there are 16 national-level economic and technological development zones in Shandong. Among them, Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Zone (hereinafter referred to as "QETDZ") and Yantai Economic & Technological Development Area (hereinafter referred to as "YEDA") established in 1984 are among China's first batch of 14 national-level economic and technological development zones. Besides, they play a leading role in Shandong's economic and technological development zones and constantly serve as the top two zones in Shandong Province according to the ranking released by the Ministry of Commerce.

In the first 10 months of 2023, 160 economic and technological development zones in Shandong Province, including national-level ones, actually utilized foreign investment of 11.73 billion US dollars, accounting for 75.1% of the total amount in Shandong Province. The import and export value was 2,033.4 billion yuan, accounting for 75.9% of the total amount in Shandong Province. The growth rates were higher than the provincial average.