Chongqing -  China unveiled a draft blueprint for economic and social development over the next five years and clarified the long-range objectives through the year 2035, setting policy priorities for a new development stage that is crucial for the country to achieve socialist modernization. The promise to create a world-class environment in the government report also strengthens the confidence of foreign enterprises in China.

As a metropolis in South-West China, Chongqing is the frontier in China's inland opening-up. The open and inclusive business environment of Chongqing provides the soil for traditional manufacturing enterprises like Nemak to accelerate innovation and allocate more space for developing emerging industries, said Lance Li, Plant Manager of Nemak Chongqing, during Thursday's exclusive interview with iChongqing.

First established in 2012, the Chongqing plant is Nemak's second manufacturing site and product development center in China. It mainly provides engine blocks and transmission cases using High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) to clients such as Ford, Audi, and Fiat.

"We can get whatever we want from here and respond very quickly to our customers' needs in terms of minimum inventory and real-time communication," said Li. "Through my years of working in Chongqing, I feel that Chongqing is a city that improves really fast in terms of infrastructure and supply chain."

Li also mentioned the city's strategically significant roles in China's Western Development efforts, the Belt & Road Initiative, and the master plan of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle as reasons for foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) to set up branch offices and regional headquarters here.

"Chongqing, as an inland highland for opening-up, has a very open and inclusive business environment, which not only accelerates the innovation process for traditional manufacturers like Nemak but also provides the soil for the development of emerging industries" he added.

During the forthcoming 14th Five-Year Plan period, Nemak Chongqing Plant will further construct digital workshops and intelligent factories, stick to the high-quality development philosophy, increase investment and R&D spending, and make more of an effort to advance sustainable green mobility, according to Li.

In order to attract more foreign investments and international talents to Chongqing, Li also suggested the municipal government further optimize the licensing process for FIE to do business here and simplify the application process for long-term foreign employees to qualify for a residence permit.

When asked about the plant's recent donation of 10,000 N95 masks to the Charity Association of Liangjiang New Area to aid the city's overall COVID-19 control and prevention measures, Li said it was out of gratitude for the municipal government's service in providing timely anti-epidemic information since the very beginning of the pandemic.

As a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) located in Liangjiang New Area's Yufu Industrial Zone, the Nemak Chongqing Automotive Components Co., Ltd. has provided more than 4 million pieces of powertrain components to almost all leading automakers in China since 2012.

Its parent company Nemak is headquartered in Mexico. It is a leading provider of innovative light-weighting solutions for the global automotive industry, with its product line ranging from aluminum components for powertrains to body structure applications.