Global Squid Processing Center: Rongcheng Squid Exports Increase by Over 20% (Image)

The picture shows customs officers providing technical guidance on squid processing in an enterprise workshop. Photo by Li Xinjun

The early morning sea fog has not yet dissipated, and the sound of people is already bustling on the dock of Chishan Fishing Port in Rongcheng, Shandong. A fleet of ocean going squid fishing boats is untying their cables and setting sail to capture squid in the open sea fishing grounds of the Southwest Atlantic.

At Chishan Fishing Port, three modern cold chain logistics bases and two customs bonded warehouses form a cold chain system with a total capacity of 400000 tons, ensuring that every squid is fresh enough. In a fully enclosed sterile workshop, 6 advanced production lines process squid into 9 categories and over 120 varieties of products, which are exported to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide.

At present, Rongcheng has developed into an important squid distribution center in China and the largest squid processing base in Asia, with an annual squid processing volume accounting for over 40% of the country's total. In order to assist the processing base in continuously enhancing its core competitiveness, Rongcheng Customs, a subsidiary of Qingdao Customs, actively connects with leading enterprises, guides them to enjoy the convenience of AEO mutual recognition, fully utilizes the benefits of policies such as RCEP, and establishes a foreign technology and trade measures warning mechanism, organizing expert teams to provide targeted consulting services. At the same time, the customs also opened a special channel for squid product inspection, using convenient measures such as "Sample Jietong" and "Certificate Cloud Issuance" to ensure a stable and efficient export clearance order, allowing squid products processed by "Rongcheng" to smoothly reach global dining tables.

Nowadays, the cluster effect and internationalization level of Rongcheng squid industry have significantly improved. Local enterprises have developed a diversified product matrix covering leisure food, frozen conditioning products, high value-added health raw materials, etc. Multiple processing technologies are pioneering in China, and the value of the industrial chain continues to rise.

With strong processing capabilities and smooth trade channels, Rongcheng not only digests local fish catches, but also gathers domestic and foreign raw materials for value-added processing before being sold globally. Its position as a hub for distribution and processing of "buying and selling globally" is becoming increasingly prominent.

According to statistics, in the first 11 months of 2025, Rongcheng exported squid and its products with a cumulative value of 4.334 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.5%. (Lai Chenglu/Text)