This photo, taken on April 20, 2023, shows an exterior view of the venue for the fifth China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative Financial Summit in southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chongqing, the only municipality directly under the central government in China's west and central regions, is striving to become an international, environmentally friendly, technologically advanced, and culturally modern metropolis.

Located in the southwest inland area of China and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Chongqing forms part of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. It is emerging as the "fourth pole" of China's economy after the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

By the end of 2022, Chongqing's permanent population was 32.13 million, with an urbanization rate of 70.96 percent.

Chongqing covers an area of 82,400 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over 38 districts and counties (26 districts, eight counties, and four autonomous counties).

Chongqing is known as a unique "mountain city" and a "city on rivers," with its landforms primarily consisting of hills and mountains, accounting for 76 percent of the area. The Yangtze River runs through the entire territory, spanning 691 kilometers, and intersects with other rivers, such as the Jialing River and Wujiang River.

Chongqing is a crucial strategic pivot for Western development, situated at the convergence zone of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It plays a unique and significant role in China's regional development and opening-up strategy.

In the first three quarters of 2023, Chongqing's GDP reached 2.2243 trillion yuan($311.33 billion), growing by 5.6 percent year-on-year.

Chongqing has been seeing robust growth in the number of rail-sea intermodal trains of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor to fast-track its development as an inland hub of international trade. Between January and November 2023, the corridor facilitated the transport of 145,000 TEUs, a 26 percent increase compared to the previous year. The total value of these goods reached 18.46 billion yuan.

Chongqing is expediting the transformation and upgrading of its economic structure, revitalizing its old industrial base, and establishing significant clusters in the global electronic information industry and the domestic automobile industry.

Strategic emerging industries such as equipment manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, and new materials are flourishing, and the construction of the Liangjiang New Area and the Western China (Chongqing) Science City is being carried out to high standards.

The development driven by innovation and big data intelligence is being vigorously promoted, resulting in breakthroughs in constructing a "smart manufacturing powerhouse" and a "renowned smart city."