Only several ports in China are open to automotive imports, Tianjin in the north is one of the largest ports in China with thousands of cars coming through each month. To take pressure off Tianjin, Qingdao has now been authorised to bring in new automobiles.

From China Daily

China’s State Council has recently approved the Qingdao bonded harbor area as an automobile import port. Since then, the Qingdao bonded port has become the only open port in Shandong Province in eastern China to be able to import cars.

The auto industry is one of the most important industries in Shandong Province, whose yield and demand of cars are considerable. The approval of the Qingdao automobile import port would slash the logistics costs of imported cars as well as their parts. Special terminals and other supporting facilities are now also under construction in Qingdao. The automobile import business is expected to start next year.