To accelerate the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Sichuan Tianfu New Area signed a strategic cooperation agreement on April 23, with the overall goal of jointly creating an inland opening gateway. The two sides agreed to cooperate in seven aspects, including planning, inland opening-up, transportation, and industry.

Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Sichuan Tianfu New Area sign a strategic cooperation agreement on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Yang Ye)

The two sides are slated to strengthen strategic cooperation and interaction, enhance industrial complementarity and economic linkage, and boost cooperative reform and joint innovation. The two national-level new areas will also exert an exemplary, leading, and strategically driving role to jointly facilitate the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to grow into the fourth greatest economic growth pole of the country and a strategic bridgehead for opening-up.

Concerted efforts to build an alliance of headquarters for opening-up in western China

Specifically, the two sides will jointly strengthen the coordination of planning and strategy. In this respect, the two are going to coordinate incorporate major projects, policies, and reforms concerning the long-term development of the two regions into the national plan. The two will also collaboratively plan and implement scores of leading, driving, and representative projects in major infrastructure, major industries, major opening-up & cooperation, and major public services, and explore ways of multi-party cooperation and participation. Moreover, the two will cooperatively carry out special research on a number of major common issues and key topics by strengthening mobilization and deployment, formulating action plans, and expediting cooperation.

In exploring the new model of inland opening-up, the two sides will team up to carry out the major institutional innovation of inland opening-up and build an international cooperation and collaboration zone. The two will also join hands to introduce regional headquarters of transnational corporations and functional institutions concerning R&D, finance, procurement, and settlement, especially the top-notch headquarters linking the Belt and Road Initiative, chambers of commerce, and industry associations. In this way, an alliance of headquarters for western opening-up will come to fruition.

Concerted efforts to hold scores of exhibitions with international influence

In advancing transport connectivity, the two sides will give full play to their role as vital hubs to jointly further the interconnection of the Belt and Road routes and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Relying on the complementary advantages of the two sides in China Railway Express, aviation hubs, and national logistics hubs, the two will step up efforts to strengthen the cooperation in such fields as aviation and rail-water multimodal transport. In addition, the two will concertedly build a multimodal transport hub on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, and jointly sort out major transport hub projects to further enhance the convenience of customs clearance and logistics efficiency.

The Agreement also clarifies that the two sides will link their industrial chains, supply chains, and innovation chains, as well as study and sort out the list of major industrial projects in the two regions, in a bid to jointly build a world-class industrial cluster. Concerted efforts will be made to expand their in-depth cooperation in such advanced manufacturing industries as automobiles, electronic information, biomedicine, and high-end equipment, as well as in such modern service industries as finance, logistics, trade, and convention & exhibition. The two will cooperate on investment attraction and open up green investment channels for companies of both sides.

The cooperation between the two sides will be powered by such platforms as Chongqing International Expo Center, Western China International Expo City, and International Conference Center in Tianfu New Area. The two will join hands to hold a range of exhibitions with international influence, and strive for the permanent settlement of a number of internationally renowned exhibitions, so as to build a top-notch platform for international conventions and exhibitions. Besides, attempts will be made to strengthen the complementary advantages of platforms. Based on the construction of Liangjiang New Area Digital Economy Industrial Park and Chengdu Science City, the two will collaboratively prompt the construction of the national-level pilot zone for innovation and development of the digital economy and the national-level pilot zone for AI innovation and development.

Concerted efforts to explore the practices that can be replicated and promoted throughout the country

Furthermore, the two sides will join hands to facilitate the construction of the western science and technology innovation center, and deepen the cooperation of reform and innovation in various fields. The two will actively make innovation in major national development and reform & opening-up, deepen the reform of institutions and mechanisms, and explore the experience and practices that can be replicated and promoted throughout the country.

To strengthen the coordination between the two regions, the two sides have respectively set up a working agency for “building an inland opening-up gateway to boost the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle,” and regularly convoked joint meetings. Specifically, the two have set up offices respectively, with specially-assigned personnel carrying out daily work.