Zhaomu Mountain is a tech-intensive industrial region home to over 5,000 companies. (Photo/Chongqing Liangjiang New Area)

Formally established on June 18, 2010, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area is the first national-level opening-up and development area in inland China and the third nationwide after Shanghai Pudong New Area and Tianjian Binhai New Area.

Situated north of the Yangtze River and east of the Jialing River, Liangjiang New Area extends 1200 square kilometers in urban Chongqing. Liangjiang is composed by part of the areas of three administrative districts - Jiangbei District, Beibei District, and Yubei District, with a permanent resident population of 3.33 million.

Serving as a strategic platform for major national tasks of development and reform, the new area is among the first tier in Chongqing regarding industrial foundation, opening-up function, and innovative resources. It is a key platform and significant growth pole in Chongqing, which takes up 1.5 percent of Chongqing’s land and contributes about 15 percent of its GDP, 20 percent of its above-scale industrial output, 30 percent of its total export-import volume, actual utilized foreign capital, and digital economy added value, 40 percent of its service trade volume, 60 percent of its vehicle production, and 70 percent cross-border e-commerce volume. The new area is also home to half of the FG500 companies that operate in Chongqing.

Chongqing Liangjiang New Area sits at the junction point of the Yangtze River, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the China-Euro Railway Express, and the Chongqing-Manzhouli-Russia International Railway. The new area has gathered 41 international organizations and 166 FG 500 companies, has established international cooperative industrial parks such as the China-Germany Industrial Park, the Sino-Swiss Industrial Park, and the China-Italy Industrial Park, and has formed innovative platforms such as the Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone, the Lijia Smart Park, and the Liangjiang Digital Economy Industrial Park.

In Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, the auto industry and the electronic information industry stand at the 200-billion-yuan level, emerging industries such as high-end equipment, biomedical, aerospace, new materials, and software and information services grow steadily, services industries such as financial, logistics, convention and exhibition, trade and commerce, and cultural tourism see rapid development.

In 2023, areas under the administration of Chongqing Liangjiang New Area reported a GDP growth of 6.5 percent and a 5.4 percent increase in the added value of its industries above a designated size. Additionally, Liangjiang’s total retail sales of consumer goods surged by 15.8 percent.

This article is updated on March 21, 2024.