Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone, established as the earliest national-level economic and technological development zone in western China, has a planned development area of 160.05 square kilometers. In the zone are Guangyang Bay Smart Innovation Eco-City, Yinglong Innovation Port, and Chongqing Institute for Brain and Intelligence. 

It is a national practice and innovation base for the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” a national demonstration base for green industries, a national demonstration base for new-type industrialization of the Internet of Things, a national demonstration base for innovation and entrepreneurship, and a scientific and technological innovation base for the ecological environment in Chongqing.

Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone is working to promote the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. 

It sees reforming and optimizing the zone’s system and mechanism as a significant strategic opportunity. Focusing on “intelligence +,” “innovation +,” and “green +,” it is expanding three leading industries: intelligent manufacturing, software, information services, and general health, as well as two characteristic pillar industries: energy conservation and environmental protection and automotive electronics. 

It is nurturing future industries such as digital energy and brain-inspired intelligence. The zone has already attracted investment from Fortune Global 500 companies such as Qualcomm, NetEase, Alibaba, and JD.com. The level of industry, innovation, openness, and urban development continues to rise.

In 2023, the operating revenue of industrial enterprises above the designated size reached 85.69 billion yuan ($11.85 billion), and the regional gross domestic product (GDP) increased 8.3 percent year-on-year, ranking first in the city.

Industrial enterprises above the designated size refer to those with annual revenue from the principal business over 20 million yuan.

This article is updated on April 2, 2024.

(Ren Xiaoyu, as an intern, also contributed to this article.)