Chongqing - At a press conference on July 24, Fuling District in Chongqing was highlighted for hosting China's largest shale gas field, the municipality's biggest chemical park, and the first trillion-yuan industrial park outside the city center. It has also developed six-billion-yuan enterprises.

Liu Zhong, Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Fuling District and District Mayor of Chongqing Fuling District Government stated that the materials industry is crucial to Fuling's economy. With a 2023 production value of 120.4 billion yuan, it makes up one-fifth of the city's total and leads all districts and counties in Chongqing.

Since setting up in Fuling in 2010, Huafon Group has grown to nine companies in chemicals, aluminum, and new materials, with a projected 2024 production value of over 40 billion yuan. It is the world's top adipic acid producer and the largest spandex production base, leading the national market in several products.

Liu noted that six out of ten PU shoe soles are made by Huafon, whose spandex, called the "MSG of textiles," is widely used in sportswear and swimsuits. Every 20 seconds, Huafon produces enough spandex to circle the Earth.

Fuling focuses on developing industrial clusters in three key sectors: chemical new materials, power batteries and lightweight automotive materials, and advanced new materials.

The first trillion-yuan industrial park outside Chongqing's city center: Fuling High-tech Zone (Fuling Comprehensive Bonded Zone). (Photo/Fuling District Media Center)

Zhou Bo, Member of the Fuling District Standing Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Fuling High-tech Zone (Fuling Comprehensive Bonded Zone), stated that to build a trillion-yuan cluster for new energy vehicle power batteries and lightweight components, Fuling has introduced Hangzhou Coleitec Composites Technology Co., Ltd.

This company produces lightweight battery box covers with the same pressure resistance and heat tolerance as steel. They are now supplied in bulk to CATL for AITO, Li Auto, Changan Deep Blue, and Avatr EVs.

Zhou emphasized Fuling's importance in the Yangtze River and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC). Fuling Longtou Port, the westernmost on the upper Yangtze, accommodates 5,000-ton ships year-round and leads Chongqing in cargo throughput. Its recent approval as a customs clearance port makes it one of Chongqing's three strategic hub ports.

With the ILSTC, transport from Longtou Port to Qinzhou Port now takes two days instead of 23, cutting costs by 1,800 yuan per container. This boost in efficiency has significantly stimulated Fuling's export economy.

In recent years, Fuling gained several key open platforms, including a Comprehensive Bonded Zone and a Cross-border E-commerce Demonstration Zone. From January to May 2024, Fuling's foreign trade volume hit 7.68 billion yuan, up 3.8% year-on-year, ranking fifth in Chongqing.