How will Chongqing act as a major drive in boosting the development of China’s western region in the new era? During the Chongqing Two Sessions, Zheng Xiangdong, Director of Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, shared his views at a press conference on January 13, 2020.

Zheng Xiangdong, Director of Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, shares his view on ways for Chongqing to act as a major drive in boosting the development of China’s western region in the new era at a press conference in Chongqing, China, January 13, 2020. (Photo by Wang Yiling)

In 2020, Chongqing will seize the new historical opportunity to implement the important instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection visit in Chongqing and the major tasks deployed in the Guiding Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Formation of a New Pattern for the Western Development Strategy in the New Era, striving for building Chengdu-Chongqing area into a nationwide influential center for economy and scientific innovation, a new focus of reform and opening-up and a high-quality livable city, and boosting the high-quality development. Chongqing government will emphasize the following five aspects.

Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle

Promote the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, and foster a growth pole for high-quality development in western China. Chongqing will continue to deepen cooperation with Sichuan and Chengdu, strive for the smooth connection, and accelerate the implementation of “1 + 12” and “2 + 16” series cooperation agreements. In the ongoing planning work of the “14th Five-Year Plan” across the city, Chongqing will closely adhere to the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, develop scientific development ideas of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, and improve the quality and level of the planning work.

Three critical battles against poverty, pollution and major risks

Fight three critical battles against poverty, pollution, and major risks to secure a decisive victory. For one thing, Chongqing will take decisive steps to carry out targeted poverty alleviation, concentrate our efforts on eradicating extreme poverty to ensure people suffer no shortage of food and clothing and have access to compulsory education, basic healthcare, and safe housing, take solid steps to address rectification implementation on poverty alleviation, and consolidate achievements in poverty alleviation.

For another, Chongqing will make a decisive contribution to the battle against pollution, and carry out significant campaigns in such critical areas as the control of urban black and odorous water bodies, the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River, the protection of water sources, and the control of pollution in agriculture and rural areas. Moreover, Chongqing will prevent and resolve significant risks and avoid systemic risks.

Steady progress in economic operation

Implement the CPC Central Committee’s requirements for stability in employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, investment, and expectations to secure steady progress in economic operation. Chongqing will make every effort to invest in infrastructure projects, ensure stable and sustained growth in industrial investment, promote the constant and sound development of the real estate market, and strengthen the organic renewal of cities and the renovation of old residential areas. Efforts will also be made to accelerate the construction of an international consumer center, enhance product innovation and brand building, and improve the environment for consumer services. Chongqing will continue to enlarge the development of emerging markets under the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen the economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN, and expand import channels.

High-quality development

Follow the new development concept to facilitate high-quality development. Chongqing will speed up the clustered development of strategic emerging industries, boost the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industry, and form a new cluster of consumer goods industry, so as to facilitate the high-quality development of manufacturing; move producer services toward specialization and toward the higher end of the value chain, and help living-based services become higher quality and more diversified, so as to boost the high-quality development of the service sector; focus on varieties, quality, and brand to promote high-quality development of agriculture.

Opening-up at a higher level

Deepen reform in the economic sector and contribute to the opening-up at a higher level. Chongqing will deepen the reform in economic structure, and state assets and SOEs, improve the institutional environment for supporting the development of the private sector, deepen the structural reform on the supply side in finance, make a contribution to the reform in the land management system, and promote the reform of fiscal and tax system. It also will continue to promote its opening-up to cover more countries (regions), incorporate more sectors and achieve a higher level, give play to the role of pilot free trade zones as experimental fields for reform and opening-up, promote the in-depth and down-to-earth construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, and build opening-up platform systems with higher capacities.