On October 23, 2023, in Dongying, Shandong Province, a strategic cooperation framework agreement was signed among the state-owned asset supervision and administration commissions of the nine provinces along the Yellow River. This collaboration aims to strengthen exchanges and cooperation across seven key areas, focusing on the protection and governance of the Yellow River, the establishment of a modern industrial system, and the preservation and promotion of Yellow River culture.
On the same day, a conference for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Yellow River basin was held to foster resource sharing and mutual benefits among these entities, ultimately supporting the implementation of significant national strategies concerning the Yellow River.
In recent years, Shandong has deepened its cooperation with provinces along the Yellow River, leveraging its advantages in technology, capital, talent, and management. The province has taken the lead in establishing over 30 alliance organizations in areas such as technological innovation, industrial education integration, and pilot free trade zones. Additionally, it has successfully organized more than 50 major events, including the Global Deepwater Port Cities Cooperation and Development Conference, to promote collaborative development in the Yellow River basin.
Zhuang Shuxin, Secretary-General of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, attended the meeting and emphasized the commission’s commitment to facilitating comprehensive cooperation between central enterprises and the provinces along the Yellow River. He expressed hope that these nine provinces would use the significant national strategy regarding the Yellow River as a platform for promoting a comprehensive transformation toward greener development, enhancing top-level strategic coordination, and advancing reforms in state-owned enterprises to support ecological protection and high-quality development in the region.
Zhou Liwei, Vice Governor of Shandong Province, noted in his speech that state-owned enterprises are the backbone of economic development and have a responsibility and capability to advance ecological protection in the Yellow River basin. He urged the provinces to enhance collaboration, focusing on enabling each other to create new industrial growth hubs, building new internal and external circulation patterns, fostering collaborative innovation, and jointly pursuing ecological protection goals.
Mian Shengang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Shandong Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, remarked on the close communication between the state-owned enterprises across the nine provinces, highlighting a solid foundation for collaborative development. He committed to organizing further coordination and exchanges among state-owned enterprises in Shandong and the other provinces along the Yellow River, increasing investment efforts, and fostering cooperative relationships.
Representatives from eight other provinces along the Yellow River, including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia, also spoke at the meeting. They expressed intentions to enhance communication and collaboration mechanisms, embarking on deeper, broader partnerships to promote ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin.
During the event, five state-owned enterprises from Shandong, including Shandong Port and Zhongtai Securities, signed multi-party strategic cooperation agreements with enterprises from nearby provinces. Additionally, 12 provincial enterprises, such as Lushang Group and Shandong Gold, entered into one-on-one investment agreements across provincial boundaries, covering 35 projects with a total planned investment of approximately 23 billion yuan.
