Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) were isolated from the soil of Yellow River Delta saline-alkali, Shandong province (north China). 10 PSB were able to produce halo at 30° in a plate assay in the presence of solubilizing tricalcium phosphate in National Botanical Research Institute’s Phosphate growth medium (NBRIP). One isolate (named as strain JP) was selected from those 10 PSB as the representative strain for the further identification. Microbiological assay showed that strain JP-1 was Gram negative, slightly curved with rods (sizes, 0.3-0.5µm wide and 1.1-1.55µm long). Biochemical tests indicated that strain JP-1 utilized glucose, glycerol, sucrose, lactose and mannose, but not urease and maltose. The optimum concentration of salts [NaCl and CaCl₂] for strain JP-1 to solubilize phosphate was 2.0 mg l^-1. Maximum concentration of soluble P released from Ca₃(PO₄)₂ by strain JP-1was 361 mg l^-1 under 2.0 mg l^-1 of salts [NaCl] in NBRIP. The solubilization of phosphate for strain JP-1was accompanied by the production of acid, pH values reducing from about 8.0 to 5.0. Strain JP-1 shared a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98% with Bacillus thuringiensis (DQ286305). The phylogenetic analysis proved that strain JP-1 (AB917465) was one member of the genus Bacillus.