Weihai International Port Economic and Technological Development Zone, located in the center of Weihai City with a planned area of 296 km², is a state-level economic and technological development zone approved by the State Council. It is regarded as the core area of regional economic cooperation and open pilot zone of the China-Korea FTZ, the development zone with the best comprehensive strength in China, and one of the top ten low carbon economy development zones in Shandong Province. As a main high-tech industrial cluster of Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone, it also emerges as an important economic growth pole and a new modern industrial district in Weihai.

Aviation:

There are 3 international airports within a 2-hour drive of the Zone.

It is a 20-minute drive from Weihai International Airport, a 90-minute drive from Yantai Penglai International Airport and a 120-minute drive from Qingdao Liuting International Airport. Among them, Weihai International Airport has opened 1 flight/week to Taipei and 28 flights/week to Seoul by which it only takes 45 minutes from Weihai to Seoul and passengers can transfer to major cities around the world at Seoul Incheon Airport.

Shipping:

There are five national first-class open ports in the vicinity of the Zone.

It is 10 km away from the Port of Weihai, 25 km away from the Port of Longyan, 40 km away from the Port of Shidao, 70 km away from the Port of Yantai and 200 km away from the Port of Qingdao. Weihai boasts 27 sea routes, with each port’s annual cargo and container throughput exceeding 70 million tons and 1 million TEUs respectively.

Sea-rail combined transport:

Since Shandong Province has been identified as a strategic maritime stronghold of the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the key area along the New Eurasian Continental Bridge Economic Corridor, Weihai, as a transit hub for maritime shipping in Northeast Asia, enjoys insightful advantages.

The three new sea-rail combined transport channels built by Weihai Port Group have officially gone into operation.

1.The southward channel to Guangzhou;

2.The “Korea–Weihai–Vietnam” channel from Guangzhou to Hanoi, Vietnam;

3.Two westward routes including the China Railway Express from the Port of Weihai to Duisburg and Hamburg of Germany, and the Central Asian Railway from Weihai to Central Asia.

China Railway Express

With the completion of the 11,000 km-long China Railway Express, the journey time is reduced to 15 to 18 days and shortened by more than 10 days compared with shipping, while the freight is cut by 80% compared with air transportation. By virtue of these remarkable advantages in circulation cost, the China Railway Express has come to the fore as the most convenient freight route between South Korea, Japan, Central Asia and Europe.

Highway:

Within a 20-minute car ride away from the city proper of Weihai, the Zone is located where many trunk lines pass through, such as the Qingdao–Weihai Expressway, Provincial Highways 303, 202, 204 and 201, and Shugang Road. These transportation links are interlaced with the main highways in the Zone, forming fast tracks to surrounding cities and ports.

High-speed rail:

The Zone is  only a 10-minute drive from Weihai Railway Station and the Intercity Railway Station, where direct routes are opened to Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, Xuzhou, Wuhan and other cities.

Qingrong Intercity Railway connects Weihai with Qingdao and Yantai, forming a “one-hour economic circle” and integrating itself into the national high-speed railway network.

With the opening of Laixi–Rongcheng High-speed Railway, the time from Weihai to Jinan has been shortened to 2 hours, and so a “two-hour traffic circle” has been shaped in Shandong Province.

It will take only 3 hours from Weihai to Beijing after the Weifang–Yantai section of Bohai Rim High-speed Railway comes into service.