Chongqing’s New Plan Adds Consumption and Clean-Energy Targets, Sets Record Welfare Goals

Chongqing - Chongqing recently outlined its economic and social development blueprint for the 2026-2030 period, setting targets aimed at advancing modernization, boosting consumption, and strengthening advanced manufacturing.

At a press briefing on Feb. 26, officials from the Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission said the newly released five-year plan sets out goals across five key areas: economic growth, innovation, public welfare, green transition and security. The overarching objective is to make decisive progress toward “basically realizing socialist modernization” by 2030.

Compared with the previous five-year plan, the new blueprint introduces several new indicators reflecting shifting policy priorities. Among them are measures tracking the share of household consumption in the economy and the proportion of non-fossil fuels in total energy use. It also adds a target for the contribution of strategic emerging industries to overall output.

Bridging News noted that the new blueprint contains the highest number of public welfare targets ever included in a Chongqing five-year plan, highlighting a sharper policy emphasis on improving living standards.

Liangjiang–Pudong cooperation to attract top companies

During the 2026-2030 period, Chongqing plans to align more closely with major national regional strategies to strengthen its position within China’s development landscape.

The city will deepen cooperation under the Western Development strategy and the Yangtze River Economic Belt initiative, while stepping up collaboration with universities, research institutes and leading companies across western China. It aims to accelerate the commercialization of innovation in sectors such as aerospace and electronic information.

Chongqing also plans to enhance ecological and industrial coordination with provinces along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and expand cooperation between Liangjiang New Area and Shanghai’s Pudong New Area to attract leading eastern Chinese firms to establish innovation partnerships locally.

Together with neighboring Sichuan province, Chongqing will work to build a nationally influential economic and technology innovation hub, a western financial center and the Bashu Cultural and Tourism Corridor.

In addition to consolidating four trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters, including electronic information, the city plans to cultivate three new trillion-yuan clusters in intelligent connected new energy vehicles, software and information services, and food and agricultural processing.

Within the municipality, Chongqing will strengthen the roles of sub-centers such as Wanzhou and Yongchuan, forming what officials described as a “one core, multiple support points” urban structure. The central urban area is expected to generate more than two trillion yuan (approx. 276 billion U.S. dollars) in GDP by the end of the period.

Authorities also pledged further market-oriented reforms, including legislation to support the private sector. The value added of the private economy is targeted to reach 2.5 trillion yuan by 2030.

3.25 million new urban jobs planned

Over the next five years, Chongqing plans to expand and rebalance public services, from childcare to elder care.

The city will increase support for childcare, education, healthcare and elderly services. By 2030, coverage of community childcare institutions in urban areas and the share of nursing beds in elderly care facilities are both expected to exceed 80%.

In employment and social security, Chongqing aims to create more than 3.25 million new urban jobs over five years, while expanding coverage of pension and unemployment insurance programs. Officials also pledged to improve housing quality, focusing on safer, greener and smarter residential development.

The government said it will refine mechanisms to ensure migrant workers and new urban residents have equal access to essential public services. The city also plans to build “15-minute high-quality living circles,” designed to provide residents with convenient access to daily services within walking distance.

Manufacturing share to stay around 25% of GDP

Chongqing will place greater emphasis on developing “new quality productive forces,” a term used in China to describe innovation-driven growth.

The city plans to build a municipal-level innovation corridor centered on the Chengdu–Chongqing Central Corridor Innovation Belt, anchored by the Western Science City and Liangjiang Innovation City. It will upgrade its laboratory system and accelerate artificial intelligence integration through initiatives described as a “science and technology brain” and “future laboratories.”

Manufacturing will remain a pillar of the local economy. Officials said the city aims to keep manufacturing value added at around 25% of GDP, while lifting the share of producer services to about 60% of the services sector.

Reforms to allocate innovation resources more efficiently will also be rolled out, including pilot programs allowing separate management of job-related scientific achievements. Chongqing plans to leverage its digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence development, implement “AI+” and data-driven initiatives, and build a full life-cycle equity investment system to channel capital into early-stage, small and hard-tech enterprises.