Chongqing- Wanzhou District in Chongqing, China, will promote the second phase project of Xintian Port on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River this year and plans to operate it in 2024, said Wu Shuang, Director of Wanzhou District Development and Reform Commission, when he attended the first session of the sixth Chongqing Municipal People's Congress as a deputy.

Built along the Yangtze River, Xintian Port is planned to be the largest inland deep-water port in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. 

Similar to the Guoyuan Port of Liangjiang New Area, this river port connects railways to make up the natural shortage of inland port capacity, forming a strong logistics hub in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It shoulders the regional mission for rural revitalization and industrial upgrade, which marks its significance in the government's strategy for regional economic balance.

"As the deputy, I raised a motion to support Wanzhou District in accelerating the construction of Chongqing's sub-hub for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC)," said Wu Shuang.

Wu emphasized Xintian Port's importance as a node to the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the ILSTC, and for Wanzhou to be integrated into the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.

"The first phase of Xintian Port including Xintian Port Railway and Transportation Center as well as the highway entering the port has been fully completed," Wu said. "We are striving to put the second phase project of Xintian Port into use in 2024."

Another motion Wu raised is to include Wanzhou in the scope of the Industrial Transfer Demonstration Zone along the Yangtze River. Currently, this zone covers seven districts including Fuling, Banan, Jiulongpo, Bishan, Yongchuan, Rongchang, and Dazu.

Wanzhou is the central city in northeast Chongqing, functioning as the regional economic center. As the construction of the Three Gorges Dam began in 1994, Wanzhou became one of the main regions to accommodate millions of migrants. As a riverside city, it has the advantage of a closer waterway distance to China's east coast compared to other parts of Chongqing.