On the afternoon of January 3, the sixth meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs noted that promoting the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle will help foster a growth pole for high-quality development in western China.
Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle
How did Chengdu and Chongqing develop under the guidance of the central government in recent years? What new progress has been made by the two cities in collaboration?
Keyword 1: Optimization of urban spaces
From economic zone and city cluster to economic circle, inter-city integration in Chengdu and Chongqing is mainly reflected by the changes in urban areas.
Chongqing Development and Reform Commission introduced that Chongqing and Chengdu began to develop towards integration recently. Specifically, Chongqing expands its main urban areas westwards, establishing Chongqing Science City and Chongqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone; Chengdu accelerates the construction of Tianfu International Airport and Tianfu New Area, continuously perfecting urban functions.
Meanwhile, a series of regional central cities and major node cities, such as Nanchong and Wanzhou, are proliferating and strengthening their connection with the core cities.
Keyword 2: Infrastructure connectivity
The full-fledged infrastructure connectivity network in Sichuan-Chongqing Area shortens the distance among cities.
Chengdu-Chongqing High-Speed Railway was opened, with the construction of BRT (bus rapid transit) and other projects being expedited;
Chongqing-Chengdu Expressway has already been open to the public, and an expressway linking Rongchang and Luzhou is going to open at the end of 2020;
A new channel for Yangtze River freight transport through Dazhou to Wanzhou Port has been completed, and Jialing River Lize Shipping Hub is under intense construction;
A program introducing electricity from Sichuan to Chongqing is underway, aiming to realize integrated development of Sichuan-Chongqing power grid;
Chengdu-Chongqing Area tries to take the lead in China to cancel the roaming charge and reduce the costs of long-distance phone calls.
Keyword 3: Industrial division and cooperation
Recently, Chengdu-Chongqing Area promotes industrial division and collaboration based on local competitiveness, which results in distinctive industrial cluster development.
In regional collaboration and innovation, it established the Western China Technology Transfer Alliance and Southwest National Technology Transfer Center (Chongqing) to stimulate trade in scientific and technological achievements;
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China set up the Micro-electronics Industrial Technology Research Institute at Xiyong Micro-Electronics Industrial Park; Chongqing University established the Enterprise-Academia-Research Institute Collaborative Innovation Center in Neijiang.
Considering industrial cooperation for win-win outcomes, Chongqing and Chengdu support R&D companies and manufacturers of automobile and parts to work with research institutes for innovation, in a bid to realize collaborative growth in urban rail transit, biological medicine, and other industries in this area;
Sichuan and Chongqing also developed a tourism cooperation mechanism and created attractive tourist routes. For example, Chongqing teamed up with Guang’an for revolutionary culture-related tourism products; Simian Mountain and Luzhou jointly built a Tourism Golden Triangle connecting Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou.
Given the promotion of park cooperation and co-construction, Chongqing-Guang’an cooperative industrial parks concerning equipment manufacturing, electronic information and agricultural product processing have introduced 465 companies already;
“Supporting Industrial Park of Chongqing Airport Industrial Park” was established at Sichuan-Chongqing Cooperation Demonstration Park in Gaotan Town, Linshui County. 35 out of the 84 companies attracted have been put into production.
Keyword 4: Joint protection and management of the ecological environment
It’s crucial for Chengdu and Chongqing areas, both of which are located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, to co-build the environmental system and co-manage the environment.
In recent years, the two areas have held the joint conference on inter-provincial consultation and cooperation in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and established a mechanism for the consultation of cross-regional EIA via conferences and the consultation of cross-provincial transfer of hazardous waste via letters, to strengthen the management of interprovincial and intercity nature reserves.
Meanwhile, the two areas are fighting the battle against air pollution and carrying out the demonstration and research on the technology and integration of the joint prevention and control of air pollution in urban agglomerations in the mountainous areas of Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guizhou. Progress has been made in the joint prevention and control of major air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and PM2.5.
Through strengthening the joint prevention and control of water pollution, the water quality of seven surface water sections for national assessment on the border of Sichuan and Chongqing keeps improving; through jointly establishing the regular joint meeting system for environmental protection in Jialing River basin, the water quality of Jialing River remains at the level of Category II.
Keyword 5: Opening up and cooperation at home and abroad
Centering on building an exemplary inland city of opening-up, Chengdu and Chongqing areas are taking an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, thus forming a new pattern of all-round opening-up.
With the open channels expanding in all directions, a three-dimensional open channel with the Yangtze River Golden Waterway as the support is forming. China Railway Express (Chongqing) has dispatched more than 4,500 trains, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has become a national strategy.
China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity is progressing smoothly, China (Chongqing) Pilot Free Trade Zone has signed a cooperation agreement with South Sichuan Port Area of Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone, and Liangjiang New Area and Tianfu New Area reached cooperation consensus.
Moreover, in recent years, the business environment in Chengdu and Chongqing areas is improving at a faster pace, the open economy keeps growing, and the total value of foreign trade and the level of foreign capital utilization are at the forefront of the central and western regions.
Keyword 6: Integration system or mechanism
Centering on crucial links such as the orderly flow of resources and co-construction and sharing of public service facilities, Chengdu and Chongqing areas have explored the establishment of a collaborative model of urban agglomeration management and realized integrated development of urban agglomeration.
In June 2018, Sichuan and Chongqing signed the Action Plan for Deepening Cooperation between Sichuan and Chongqing to Further Promote the Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (2018-2022) and 12 special cooperation agreements and implemented all of the 29 major cooperation items.
In July 2019, Sichuan and Chongqing signed “2+16” cooperation agreements. They established four-level coordination and promotion mechanisms of annual scheduling of principal leaders, semi-annual matchmaking of executive vice-governors (deputy mayors), quarterly communication between the development and reform commission of both places, and flexible problem solving of the permanent office.
In the cooperation of adjacent areas, they established Chengdu-Chongqing Axis Regions (Cities) and Counties Cooperative Development Alliance.
At the same time, social security integration was promoted, and instant settlement networked hospitals covered all districts, cities, and counties in Sichuan and Chongqing for realizing long-distance medical treatment. The Vocational Education Development Alliance in Western China was established, and Tongnan District and Guang’an City signed an agreement on educational exchanges and cooperation.