Recently, the Symposium on Jinan Metropolitan Area Construction was held, indicating the acceleration of the construction of the Jinan Metropolitan Area.

Shandong has continuously optimized and improved the development pattern of "one cluster, two cores, and three circles" and thoroughly implemented the Development Plan for the Shandong Peninsula City Cluster. So far, it has shaped a pattern characterized by the coordinated development of two mega-cities, 10 large cities, nine medium-sized cities, 73 small cities, and 1,072 designated towns. In 2023, the regional GDP reached 9.2 trillion yuan, and the leading role of the Shandong Peninsula city cluster became more prominent.

Last year, the development plans for the Jinan Metropolitan Area and Qingdao Metropolitan Area were approved. Shandong made new progress in the in-depth implementation of the national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Shandong focuses on the spatial dynamics mechanism of forming central cities to drive metropolitan areas, establishing metropolitan areas to lead economic circles, and developing economic circles to support urban areas. The construction of the modern Jinan Metropolitan Area and Qingdao Metropolitan Area can enhance the influence of Jinan and Qingdao as two central cities, accelerate the integrated development of the economic circle covering the provincial capital, Jiaodong Peninsula, and southern Shandong, and better play the leading role of the Shandong Peninsula city cluster in ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.