Chongqing - "Chongqing Youth Roundtable," a major program of CGTN's special series "Rising Star Cities," was held in Chongqing on October 24. The program focuses on Chongqing's driving factors of business growth and future potentials.

Chongqing is the third stop of CGTN's special series "Rising Star Cities" after Ningbo and Changsha, diving deep into Chinese mainland cities with an annual GDP exceeding 1 trillion yuan. The series aims to decode the mysteries of the economic development of these cities, with Chongqing being a prominent example.

As a vital part of the special series, "Chongqing Youth Roundtable" talks to the youth and experts to uncover creative ideas on Chongqing's journey to success, future developments, and city expectations. Together with CGTN Global Business anchor Michael Wang, Stephen Ellison, Consul General of the British Consulate-General Chongqing, Ma Yu, General Manager of Chongqing Mayda Co. Ltd, Alex Reporterfy, iChongqing collaborator and a fourth-year student from Southwest University, held an inspiring discussion regarding Chongqing's unique charms, business environment, and future potentials.

Why is Chongqing so successful? Ma Yu, General Manager of Chongqing Mayda Co. Ltd,  stressed that as China's industrial heartland, Chongqing has made the most of the solid manufacturing foundation and formed multiple pillar industries, including electronics, automobiles, and consumer goods. Ma also pointed out that Chongqing has developed a four-directional international logistics network, turning the city into a new open gateway linking China's west to the world.

iChongqing collaborator Alex Reporterfy added that amazing infrastructure connectivity, including more than 14,000 bridges, remarkable dual carriageway bridges, and a complex underground network, make Chongqing an 8D city. "It shows that anything is possible here in Chongqing," Alex said.

China recently issued a master plan for constructing the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, demonstrating its determination to foster a key growth pole in western China. Stephen Ellison, Consul General of the British Consulate-General Chongqing, highlighted that this drive for more growth in China's western region gives Chongqing an advantage for infrastructure development.  He said the openness of Chongqing would encourage more UK enterprises to invest in Chongqing and help make the heavy industries more green and efficient.

When asked about what attracts young people to stay in Chongqing, Southwest University student Zhang Huiyi pointed out that Chongqing's economy is booming by leaps and bounds along with many powerful international businesses, which creates more job opportunities for young people. In addition, Zhang noted that she enjoyed the mellow and carpe diem lifestyle in Chongqing. "Chongqing people are well-known for their hot personalities, but this provides them with excellent execution power, and they are more open-minded," added Zhang.

Click here to watch the full video.