Chongqing- Just a few days ago, Chongqing welcomed many friends from afar. On the one hand, the 8th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade brought together high-quality global enterprises, key projects, and cutting-edge technologies to explore new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation on the open, fertile land of Western China. On the other side, the Chongqing International Friendship Cities Cooperation Conference 2026 brought together representatives from home and abroad, who came to Chongqing with advanced development experience and sincere expectations for cooperation.
One event focuses on industrial investment and empowers economic and trade development, while the other builds urban bridges and connects global networks. The two major events converge on the same trend: Chongqing in the new era is continuously winning the attention and favor of global partners with an increasingly open and inclusive posture.
British Entrepreneurs Explore Business Opportunities in Western China
As the Guest Country of Honor for this year’s WCIFIT, the United Kingdom has organized a delegation of around 100 business representatives to attend the event. Covering fields ranging from industrial artificial intelligence to green urban design, British trade envoys in China and representatives from multiple enterprises shared their insights into Chongqing and development opportunities in Western China in exclusive interviews.
Why Foreign Capital is Heading to Western China
British entrepreneurs coming to Chongqing is just the beginning. Since 2026, global foreign capital has continuously increased its investment in the Western China market and accelerated its westward expansion. Home to a vast consumer market of over 380 million people, Western China leverages the industrial and geographical strengths of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, together with the opening-up advantages brought by the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. It has emerged as a core hub for inland opening-up in China.
Friends from Afar
Industries connect here, and cities meet here. At the Chongqing International Friendship Cities Cooperation Conference 2026, government representatives, diplomats, international organizations, and business associations from around the world gathered in Chongqing. Why are they here, and what new connections will they build with Chongqing through this conference? Let's head to the event venue to explore new opportunities for international cooperation.
Free State Province Delegation Explores Chongqing
Visiting Chongqing, foreign guests notice more than just skyscrapers, bridges, and industrial parks. Some details are even more moving—volunteer work in communities, care for elderly living alone, and the warmth in city governance. During her inspection tour, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, Premier of South Africa's Free State Province, gained an in-depth understanding of Chongqing's innovative approaches to urban governance and people's livelihood development, which stand out from conventional development models.
From the industrial, economic, and trade docking of the WCIFIT to the international urban linkage of the CIFC, openness and connectivity have become the core keywords of Chongqing's development in the new era. Based on the Chengdu-Chongqing area, radiating Western China and connecting the world, today's Chongqing is not only a core hub city and economic powerhouse in Western China, but also an important opening window for the world to understand Western China and for China and foreign countries to deepen economic and trade cooperation and urban interconnection, continuously releasing new momentum and unlimited potential for inland opening to the globe.
"Let's Meet" airs every Wednesday and Saturday at 6 PM on Chongqing Satellite TV. It is also simultaneously released on the Let's Meet official WeChat Channels, Bridging News app, iChongqing website, Facebook and YouTube channels, WCICO's global communication matrix platform, and Chongqing Satellite TV's new media matrix.