Chongqing — On Jan 26, a press conference themed “Ten Years of Yangtze River Economic Belt Development: Chongqing in Action” was held in Liangjiang New Area. 

Liangjiang New Area, a national-level development zone and a designated green development demonstration area, has emerged as a key engine of Chongqing's economic transformation. 

Wang Wei, deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, said the area is home to the city's largest concentration of high-tech and technology-based enterprises. Corporate research and development spending in Liangjiang accounts for more than 40% of Chongqing's total, underscoring its central role in driving innovation.

The automotive sector remains a pillar of Chongqing's industrial upgrade. Changan Automobile, the city's flagship carmaker, has been a major contributor to strengthening regional industrial competitiveness.

Wang Hui, executive vice president of Changan Automobile, said the company has built a global research and development network spanning six countries and 10 locations, and operates the industry's only national key laboratory dedicated to intelligent vehicle safety technologies. 

In 2025, Changan reported global vehicle sales of 2.91 million units, with more than half produced in Chongqing. Vehicles made in the city are now sold in 117 countries and regions. 

Looking ahead to China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, Changan plans to further ramp up technology-driven growth as it aims to become a world-class automaker. The company's expansion is expected to support Chongqing's ambition to build a globally competitive cluster for intelligent and connected new energy vehicles, reinforcing the city's position within the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

A worker is inspecting a vehicle at the SERES smart factory. (Photo/Vivian Yan)

Furthermore, innovation beyond manufacturing is also gaining momentum in Liangjiang New Area. As competition intensifies in autonomous driving, a local research team has developed a spatial AI camera designed to serve as both the "eyes" and the "brain" of smart vehicles, addressing key challenges in environmental perception.

Chongqing THESEUS Information Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully developed the world's first vehicle-mounted spatial AI camera, integrating the underlying systems of visual cameras, lidar, and millimetre-wave radar. 

The technology enables cross-domain data fusion, allowing vehicles to detect small objects, complex environments, and irregular obstacles with centimetre-level accuracy while significantly reducing system complexity and sensor fusion errors. 

Looking forward, Liangjiang New Area will continue to leverage its institutional advantages to strengthen innovation platforms, expand into frontier fields such as aerospace information and embodied intelligence, and play a leading role in regional coordination and green transformation.