• Foreign Trade Overview
In 2005, foreign trade in the Qingdao region rose 22.4% to over US$33 billion. More particularly, exports rose to over US$19.4 billion, up 23.1%, and imports were up 21.4%, for a total of US$13.6 billion. Exports of clothing and textiles, electronic appliances, transportation equipment, mechanical equipment and shoes account for approximately 87% of the city's total export volume. Qingdao's major export trade markets were the US, Japan and Korea. Currently, the export volume of the more than 7,500 foreign-invested enterprises in Qingdao accounts for more than 60% of the city's total.

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
In 2006, there were 1397 new agreements or letters of intent signed for foreign direct-funded projects. The contractual value of foreign investment totaled US$3.12 billion. Qingdao has attracted 77 of the world's top 500 enterprises, who have invested in over 140 projects, including the manufacture of digital communications equipment, textiles and garments, electronic equipment, metals production, food and beverages. The utilization of FDI in Qingdao is very high. Utilization of FDI among the cities of Hangzhou, Dalian, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are shown below, with Qingdao leading the way among its mainland peers: