Chongqing Taiwan Week Opens AI, Manufacturing and Cultural Opportunities to Taiwan Enterprises

Chongqing - Business leaders, cultural representatives and youth groups gathered in Chongqing on September 8 as the 18th Chongqing Taiwan Week opened, creating new opportunities for economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The event features more than 10 programs across five major sections aimed at expanding cooperation and strengthening cross-Strait ties.

Chen Xinwu, mayor of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, said the city has continued to promote exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan in areas including trade, investment and culture.

He highlighted Chongqing's economic development in recent years, noting that the city's GDP reached nearly 3.37 trillion yuan (about 503 billion U.S. dollars) last year, while per capita GDP surpassed 100,000 yuan. In the first half of this year, Chongqing's GDP grew 4.2% year on year, with major economic indicators showing improvements in industrial structure and growth momentum.

Chongqing has been working to strengthen its role as a destination for Taiwan-funded enterprises. The city has attracted more than 2,400 Taiwan-funded companies, including major firms such as Quanta, Inventec, ASUS and Acer, forming one of the world's largest laptop manufacturing bases.

In 2025, trade between Chongqing and Taiwan reached 752.4 billion yuan, up 38.1% year on year, according to Chen. Trade growth continued this year, with bilateral trade increasing 65.6% from January to July.

"Chongqing has become an important destination for Taiwan residents to invest and start businesses," Chen said.

The city has also established five cross-Strait exchange bases and developed various exchange programs. In the first half of 2026, visits by Taiwan residents to Chongqing reached 220,000, up 75% year on year, while more than 3,200 Taiwan residents are currently living in Chongqing, according to Chen.

Exploring new opportunities in manufacturing and innovation

During the event, Taiwan business representatives visited industrial areas including the Western (Chongqing) Science City and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area to explore cooperation opportunities in electronic information, biomedicine and advanced manufacturing.

At TXC (Chongqing) Corporation, part of Taiwan-headquartered TXC Corporation, the company produces crystal components, chips and quartz crystal oscillators used in smartphones, computers, automobiles and drones.

Lin Zhehong, co-founder of a robotics startup from Hangzhou, said his company is developing physical AI data services for humanoid robot and AI model developers.

"Chongqing has a strong manufacturing foundation, a fast-growing new energy vehicle industry and abundant industrial application scenarios, which provide favorable conditions for collecting data to train humanoid robots," Lin said.

Lin added that through the Chongqing Taiwan Week platform, his company hopes to connect with local manufacturers and jointly build industrial AI datasets to support the commercialization of humanoid robots.

In Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, Taiwan representatives also visited Taiji Group to discuss cooperation opportunities in health industries, including the integration of traditional Chinese medicine resources with modern technologies.

Strengthening people-to-people connections

Former chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu said historical ties and cultural connections between Chongqing and Taiwan have created a foundation for continued exchanges.

She said Chongqing's role as a hub for western development and the Belt and Road Initiative has created opportunities for cooperation in areas including manufacturing, services, cultural industries, agriculture and youth entrepreneurship.

"Even when official communication faces difficulties, people-to-people exchanges become even more important," Hung said, calling for greater understanding and cooperation through practical exchanges.

Other participants also highlighted Chongqing's development potential. Lei Hongyi, president of the Taiwan Business and Construction Association, said Taiwan young people could explore opportunities in areas such as cultural tourism and creative industries to better understand the history and culture of different regions.

"The stories behind each place are something Taiwan lacks," Lei said, adding that a deeper understanding of local culture could help young people identify future development opportunities.

Since its launch in 2009, Chongqing Taiwan Week has attracted more than 16,000 participants from both sides and resulted in 205 signed cooperation projects worth more than 1.66 trillion yuan, according to organizers.