Shandong -- Capital, technology, and talent flow increasingly smoothly from the shores of the Yellow Sea to the banks of the Mekong River. From September 22 to 26, Zeng Zanrong, Secretary of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, led a delegation from Qingdao to Thailand and Cambodia. According to the itinerary, his visit aimed to engage with local entrepreneurs and heads of chambers of commerce and business associations to comprehensively promote Qingdao and attract local businesses to develop in Qingdao. In addition, Zeng attended the inauguration ceremony for Haier Group’s Air Conditioning Industrial Park and the groundbreaking ceremony for Hisense Group’s Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park in Thailand, supporting Qingdao enterprises going global. During the meeting with key Qingdao-invested enterprises in Cambodia, he said that stronger support will be provided for more Qingdao enterprises in actively expanding overseas. Qingdao and Southeast Asian countries have been enhancing people-to-people bonds and mutual learning between civilizations, and deepening cooperation in economy, trade, industry, culture, tourism, and humanities, thus continuously writing a new chapter of win-win results.
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New Narrative of Qingdao Enterprises Going Global
Leading Qingdao enterprises, represented by Haier and Hisense, are increasing their investments in Southeast Asia. During this visit, the delegation witnessed the highlights of these two major enterprises in Thailand. On the morning of September 23 local time, the Haier Thailand Chonburi Air Conditioning Industrial Park officially commenced production. With an annual planned capacity of 6 million units of multiple categories of air conditioning products, it is the largest air conditioning manufacturing base of a Chinese brand in Southeast Asia.
Haier Thailand Chonburi Air Conditioning Industrial Park was officially put into operation.
Haier first entered the Thai market in 2002, making it one of the earliest Chinese brands to establish a presence there. It took the lead in building an industrial park in 2007. Today, Haier has grown to become the top brand in white goods in Thailand, leading the sales of air conditioners for four consecutive years. Zhou Yunjie, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Haier Group, said: “Leveraging Thailand’s geographical advantages, this industrial park has the capability to directly supply the markets in North America, Europe, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, becoming Haier’s global production and export hub for air conditioners.” On the same day, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hisense HHA Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park was held in the Amata City Chonburi Industrial Estate in Thailand. This is also Hisense’s largest industrial park overseas. The Hisense’s park is only a 30-minute drive from the Haier’s park, both located in the core of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), adjacent to Laem Chabang Port and an international airport, enabling quick responses to the demands of ASEAN markets and serving as a fast track into the global market. The year 2016 marked the beginning of Hisense’s deep cultivation of the Thai market. Since then, Hisense has not only introduced its full range of products but also established production bases and R&D centers, boosting local employment and industrial development. Jia Shaoqian, Chairman of Hisense Group, said: “Hisense will take the HHA Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park as a pivot to join hands with all sectors in Thailand, empowering industrial upgrading through technological innovation.” He added: “This is a key step for Hisense to further expand the Thai market, radiate across ASEAN, and explore the global market.”
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Expansion of Qingdao Enterprises in Southeast Asia
Currently, ASEAN is one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world. Its positioning in the globalization blueprint of Qingdao enterprises is undergoing significant changes. It is not only a haven to avoid trade risks but also a new growth point for overseas business. This trend appears more evident when it comes to Qingdao’s advantageous industries. In the smart home appliance industry, Haier Smart Home has currently set up 11 factories and five industrial parks in ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, building a localized manufacturing network covering major core categories. Hisense has rooted its R&D centers in ASEAN countries. Aucma has also taken the region as a pivot for its overseas business. A number of Qingdao enterprises in the rubber tire industry, such as Sailun, Double Star, and Sentury, have established factories in Southeast Asia, the world’s main production area for natural rubber. In Cambodia, two out of the three operational foreign tire manufacturers are from Qingdao: Sailun Tire located in Bavet City, Svay Rieng Province, and Double Star Tire in Kratié Province. In May this year, Sailun’s fourth overseas production base was put into production in Indonesia, another Southeast Asian country after Vietnam and Cambodia.
On May 28, the first high-performance passenger car radial tire successfully rolled off the production line at Sailun Group’s Indonesian factory.
In the textile and garment industry, Southeast Asia has long become a favored destination for Qingdao enterprises going global, accelerating the renewal and upgrading of the local full industry chain. Jifa Group has established full industry chain production bases for textiles and garments in Cambodia and Vietnam, all equipped with high-end, intelligent, and automated equipment, achieving digital management and real-time monitoring of the entire production process, employing nearly 10,000 local staff. In the rail transit industry, Qingdao-made trains have become a signature Chinese brand. In Indonesia, the CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd. customized 350 km/h high-speed EMUs for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, which is the first order for Chinese high-speed train exports. In Laos, the Lancang EMUs designed and manufactured for the China-Laos Railway, a model project of the Belt and Road Initiative, have safely run over 5 million kilometers. In Singapore, 916 metro vehicles have been ordered, achieving a breakthrough in exporting Chinese metro vehicles to developed countries. For many SMEs, going global requires clustered development, and Zhongqi Holdings Group serves as an organizer. In Cambodia, Zhongqi Holdings has invested in and constructed the Kratié Province Special Economic Zone, the Mondulkiri Province Eco-Agricultural Development Zone, the Sihanoukville Province Sealong Bay International Tourism Resort, and construction engineering projects. In particular, Zhongqi Holding leverages the Kratié Province Special Economic Zone as an important platform for promoting Belt and Road Initiative investment and construction in Cambodia, and comprehensively plans for industrial clusters, including industrial processing and manufacturing, agricultural product processing, solar photovoltaic new energy, rubber tire products, garment printing and dyeing, and commercial and trade logistics. The Zone can accommodate nearly 100 enterprises, vigorously promoting local industrialization. Qingdao enterprises are continuously expanding and extending here. The cooperation between Qingdao and ASEAN countries is embarking on a new voyage of in-depth industrial chain integration, exploring joint progress in digitalization, intelligence, and green transformation.
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Developing Qingdao by Taking a Global Perspective
ASEAN is a priority in China’s neighboring diplomacy and a key region for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as an important direction for Qingdao to expand two-way opening-up. ASEAN has remained Qingdao’s largest trading partner for five consecutive years. In 2024, Qingdao’s import and export volume with ASEAN countries reached 154.33 billion Yuan, accounting for one-sixth of the city’s total foreign trade. The two-way investment between Qingdao and ASEAN countries has been vibrant, with over 1,400 projects and an investment volume exceeding 14.5 billion US dollars. The bilateral cultural and tourism exchanges have been growing increasingly extensive. In 2024, ASEAN became one of the fastest-growing source markets for inbound tourism to Qingdao, with a growth rate exceeding 30%. Qingdao has established friendship-city relations with seven cities in ASEAN countries, and 15 schools between the two sides have successfully engaged in joint educational programs, bringing local exchanges ever closer. These substantial achievements are vivid testaments to the shared economic growth and synchronized interactions between the two sides. In today’s world, some build barriers, while others build bridges. Against the backdrop of profound adjustments in the global economy and the accelerated evolution of emerging technologies, to hedge against external uncertainties and enhance regional economic resilience, Qingdao must continue to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN. Connectivity is the foundation for pressing the “fast-forward button” on the development of both sides. Currently, there are nearly 50 direct container shipping routes from SPG Qingdao Port to the ASEAN region, achieving direct “daily delivery” between the ports. Qingdao has held the ASEAN-China (Qingdao) Event of Economic and Trade Cooperation and People-to-People Exchanges for two consecutive years. The Qingdao Initiative released at this year’s event aims to strengthen coordinated development through five measures, including enhancing industrial alignment, increasing friendship-city exchanges, deepening education cooperation, and jointly expanding the tourism market, thus continuously contributing to building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. The released List of China (Qingdao)-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Opportunities focuses on five industrial fields, encompassing industrial manufacturing, marine equipment, modern agriculture, biomedicine, and modern services. The List incorporates over 100 cooperation intentions from more than 100 enterprises, building a precise matchmaking platform between Qingdao and ASEAN businesses.
The List of China (Qingdao)-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Opportunities was released.
The Opinions of CPC Central Committee and State Council on Promoting High-Quality Urban Development issued recently explicitly underscores three “supports” regarding institutional innovation, factor allocation, and scientific and technological innovation capabilities for megacities and super-large cities. Amid the profound changes in the global economic situation and increasingly fierce urban competition, Qingdao aspires to build itself into a central strategic hub by embracing, addressing, and responding to global changes in its own way. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) and the inaugural year of CAFTA 3.0. The 3.0 version of CAFTA will not only further expand open trade and investment but also include nine emerging areas for the first time, such as the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity, emphasizing mutual recognition of rules, alignment of standards, and support for MSMEs. The 3.0 version has been comprehensively upgraded in terms of expanding sectors, deepening rules, improving efficiency, and inclusive development. For Qingdao, continuously extending cooperation with ASEAN is an inevitable choice for enhancing its function as an open hub and gateway, and for conducting all-round and in-depth opening-up. As new cooperation intentions are emerging in Qingdao and new achievements are taking root in Southeast Asia, the two sides will join hands to forge ahead and create more possibilities.