Group 1 - Shandong is set to become the first province in Northern China and the third in the country to exceed a GDP of 10 trillion yuan this year, following Guangdong in 2019 and Jiangsu in 2020 [2][25] - The province has maintained its position as the third largest in GDP, with an average annual growth rate of 6.1% during the first four years of the 14th Five-Year Plan [3][27] - Shandong's GDP has crossed two significant thresholds, reaching 8 trillion yuan in 2021 and 9 trillion yuan in 2023 [3][27] Group 2 - In September 2023, Shandong was designated by the State Council as a strategic support point for economic development in Northern China and an important industrial base [4][27] - As of 2024, Shandong's GDP is projected to be 9.86 trillion yuan, just shy of the 10 trillion yuan mark [5][28] - The province has divided its 16 cities into eastern and western regions to enhance economic development, with the eastern region including cities like Qingdao and Yantai, which are crucial for stabilizing the provincial economy [6][28] Group 3 - The eastern region of Shandong, comprising eight cities, is identified as a "ballast stone" for the province's economy, promoting high-quality development [6][29] - Qingdao and Yantai have both achieved "trillion-yuan city" status, with plans to accelerate Qingdao's economic growth to reach 2 trillion yuan [7][31] - The western region, including cities like Jinan and Jining, plays a significant role in the overall economic landscape of Shandong, with Jinan's GDP projected at 1.35 trillion yuan in 2024 [9][32] Group 4 - Zhejiang is expected to become the fourth province to reach a GDP of 10 trillion yuan, having crossed three major thresholds in the past five years [10][34] - The gap between Shandong and Zhejiang is not significant, with both provinces showing similar growth rates, making Zhejiang's potential to close the gap noteworthy [13][37] - Other provinces such as Sichuan, Henan, and Hubei are still several years away from reaching the 10 trillion yuan GDP milestone [14][38] Group 5 - Several cities are also targeting the "trillion-yuan city" goal, with Wuhan aiming for a GDP of 3 trillion yuan by 2030 [39][40] - Cities like Nanjing and Ningbo are projected to exceed 2 trillion yuan in GDP, with Nanjing expected to reach 1.85 trillion yuan in 2024 [43][43] - Emerging cities such as Wenzhou and Xuzhou are also in pursuit of the trillion-yuan target, indicating a shift towards a multi-polar economic structure [48][48]