Cargo ships at the high-tech and highly innovative Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province, which has been one of the few bright spots for Chinese trade. Photograph: STR/AFP via Getty Images’s Shandong province, a giant standing crane is lowering one container on to the dock while others are gliding along on driverless vehicles. The crane is powered by hydrogen and the entire operation is automated and controlled by a 5G connection that uses data from 30 high-definition cameras.
The port is the first of its kind in the world and it exemplifies the way Chinese industry is leading the way in some innovative technological applications and sustainable energy. But while Qingdao saw its traffic increase in 2023, the broader picture for Chinese exports was bleaker and November’s figures were the first in six months to show a year-on-year increase. It has been a disappointing year for the Chinese economy, as the recovery that followed the end of three years of zero-Covid policies proved much weaker than expected.said it expects the Chinese economy to grow by