The urban landscape of Chengdu and Chongqing. (Photo/Bridging News)

Chongqing – The Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission announced on December 18 that the annual investment target of the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle has been completed ahead of schedule.

According to the commission, 320 key projects under the initiative recorded total investment of 480.999 billion yuan (around 68.31 billion U.S. dollars) between January and November 2025. Based on the 2025 List of Key Projects for the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle released by the Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission in January, the planned annual investment target was about 441.45 billion yuan, putting completion at roughly 109.2 percent.

Investment in modern infrastructure projects reached 284.173 billion yuan. Major milestones included the breakthrough of the Jinyun Mountain Tunnel on the Chengdu–Chongqing Middle-Line High-Speed Railway and the closure of the Qujiang Super Bridge on the Chengdu–Dazhou–Wanzhou High-Speed Railway.

Modern industry and technological innovation projects attracted 168.593 billion yuan in investment. Key developments included the commissioning of a 200,000-ton recycled aluminum circular economy project under Southwest Aluminum’s capacity expansion plan, as well as the completion, inspection, and handover of Phase I factory buildings at the China Electronics Western Innovation Base.

The Chengdu–Chongqing region is home to over 100 million people and is playing an increasingly important role in China’s manufacturing, innovation, and domestic consumption. Historically, the two cities developed largely in parallel rather than in coordination, despite their close economic, cultural, and geographic ties.

Launched in 2020, the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle is a major regional development strategy aimed at fostering deeper integration between the two megacities in western China. As China seeks to rebalance growth away from its eastern coast, the initiative is designed to build a new inland economic hub by improving connectivity and regional coordination.