Chongqing- In 2025, Chongqing’s GDP grew by 5.3%, with the total exceeding 3.37 trillion yuan. Output of new energy vehicles surged by 36%. The strong momentum of economic development has brought the city widespread attention from international media. Over two months, we collected 410 reports from 185 media outlets across 64 countries and regions. In this episode, through objective sorting and interpretation, we will present the reasons why Chongqing has drawn so much global attention from multiple dimensions.

A Miniature of China’s Auto Industry

In global coverage of Chongqing, the auto industry appears again and again. Chongqing’s auto sector shows not only the scale of China’s car manufacturing, but also the full path of China’s shift from the fuel era to the era of intelligent connected vehicles. In the era of fuel vehicles, Chongqing was once one of the world’s biggest auto cities. After a tax break ended in 2018, production dropped sharply. But with China pushing electric transformation, Chongqing rose again very quickly. In 2025, the city produced 2.7877 million vehicles, including 1.2961 million new energy vehicles, and returned to the top spot among China’s auto cities. As The Guardian put it: More cars were produced in Chongqing last year than in France and England combined.

The Economist captured this dramatic turnaround. In its analysis, the magazine argued that this ability to regenerate is the key reason why Chongqing is “surpassing Detroit.” The city is transitioning from a major manufacturing base to a high ground in smart manufacturing, and it has become an important window into the future of China’s auto industry.

From an Industrial Powerhouse to a Tech Haven

Driven by smart manufacturing and industrial upgrading, Chongqing is steadily moving toward becoming a technology center. “What is the secret behind Chongqing’s transformation from a traditional manufacturing city into a ‘technology center’?” That question from the Korea Economic Daily shows strong interest in Chongqing’s innovation story. Like that paper, some foreign media have even praised Chongqing as a “tech paradise.”

The real foundation of Chongqing’s tech leap is its strong manufacturing base. In 2025, Chongqing’s value-added industrial output above the designated size grew by 5.9% year on year. In the city’s “33618” modern manufacturing cluster system, value-added output of intelligent connected new energy vehicles rose by 13.4%, while advanced materials, intelligent equipment, and smart manufacturing all posted steady growth. As Turkey’s Hürriyet said, this “8D city built on mountains” is now “at the forefront of China’s digital transformation,” powered by big data and artificial intelligence.

A Node in the Global Supply Chain

For a long time, Chongqing was seen as a city deep in inland China. But by 2025, many foreign media outlets were describing this inland city in a new way: as an open hub. U.S. tech media outlet Daily Galaxy pointed out in its report: “In the mountainous interior of the country, the city of Chongqing is becoming the core of a land-based trade route some are calling the ‘Suez Canal’ on rails.” Other foreign media believe that Chongqing’s rail trade route is “Faster Than Sea, Cheaper Than Air—And Deeply Strategic.”

A deeper point in foreign coverage is that they have noticed the two-way interaction between Chongqing’s industries and its trade corridors. About one-third of the world’s laptop computers are made in Chongqing, and the city is also a major base for electric vehicle production. Industrial growth drives corridor upgrades, and stronger corridors, in turn, support industrial expansion. This cycle is reshaping Chongqing’s image in global public discourse. It is no longer just an open frontier in western China. It is also becoming a strategic pivot in the restructuring of global supply chains.

Today, when the world talks about Chongqing, it is no longer seen only as a “magical mountain city.” As a typical example of manufacturing upgrade, it is a miniature of China’s auto industry. In the story of global supply chain restructuring, it is a key link between ASEAN and Europe. Foreign media continue to watch Chongqing not simply because the city creates spectacles, but because it shows the world a more concrete form of Chinese modernization. It is roads built into the mountains, robotic arms inside factories, drones in the night sky, freight trains heading into the distance, and a vivid practice of deep integration between industrial development and urban life.