"Shandong Unveiled" in Linqing: Extend Foreign Affairs Services to Grassroots and Empower Enterprises to Sail Far

As part of the seventh session of the “Shandong Unveiled” promotional activities themed “Pool Strength for Economic Foreign Affairs and Empower Grassroots Development”, a media delegation travelled to the county-level city of Linqing on July 30 to witness how grassroots foreign-affairs services facilitate the real economy. The delegation visited local export-oriented manufacturers and field offices to examine how county-level diplomacy is being repurposed for practical, enterprise-facing support.

At Shandong Hengfa Hygiene Products Co., Ltd., a homegrown modern personal-care manufacturer with more than two decades of experience, reporters learned that the company holds over 40 patents and sells a diversified range of products worldwide. With 2025 annual sales reaching 878 million yuan, it has sustained strong export growth. With stable quality control and continuous technological innovation, it keeps exploring overseas markets. They also expressed gratitude for support from all parties, especially grassroots foreign affairs services that shield its overseas businesses and remove barriers to cross-border trade.

Nearby, Shandong Zhongli Auto Parts Manufacturing Co., Ltd. – the city’s first Sino‑US joint venture – is steering through a turbulent trade environment with heavy R&D spending, which accounted for 5.2% of its 2025 revenue. The company’s proprietary axles have earned CSA certification from Canada, breaking overseas technological monopolies, and its core components now command a 34% share of the North American market, ranking it among the global top four in recreational-vehicle axle production. 

Behind the foreign trade development of county-level economies lies the strong support of grassroots foreign affairs work. “County-level foreign affairs work is the capillary network of local opening‑up,” said Wang Donghua, head of the Foreign Affairs Section of the Linqing Municipal Government Office. Unlike high‑profile diplomatic events, she explained, grassroots work centres on precise service for businesses and residents, helping firms with overseas transactions, rolling out APEC Business Travel Card access, and disseminating consular-protection knowledge. Wang has spearheaded a rapid‑response mechanism for cross‑border service requests, streamlining procedures to clear the “last mile” of the foreign-related government services.

County-level areas form an important foundation of the province's opening-up system. Linqing, a vital node in Shandong’s broader opening‑up architecture, is doubling down on channeling foreign‑affairs resources to the factory floor. Local authorities plan to meet industrial needs with diplomatic tools, sharpen policy delivery, and strengthen enterprise matchmaking – all aims to facilitate home‑grown exporters for global markets and drive high‑quality regional development through elevated grassroots-level international engagement.

大众新闻·齐鲁壹点记者 董从哲 实习生 刘佳琪