A panoramic view of Chongqing’s urban landscape. (Photo/Chongqing Nan'an District)

Chongqing - Chongqing and Sichuan recently unveiled 350 key projects for the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (the Circle) in 2026, with a total annual investment projected at 499.2 billion yuan (72.32 billion U.S. dollars). The portfolio focuses on infrastructure, New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), digital industries, international consumption destinations, and strategic opening-up.

Covering 185,000 square kilometers across Chongqing and Sichuan, the Circle is Western China’s most densely populated region, boasting the strongest industrial base and innovation capacity. Its development is a national strategy aimed at creating a high-quality growth pole and addressing regional developmental imbalances.

Modern infrastructure networks—comprising transportation, energy, water conservancy, and "new infrastructure"—are the top priorities. The latter will primarily serve the digital economy, featuring projects in satellite communications, cloud computing, and low-altitude comprehensive test bases.

As a cornerstone of China's industrial upgrading, the digital economy remains a key focus. The key project plan mandates the advancement of the computing-power center. With the rise of large models, "computing power"—integrating computation, transmission, and storage—has become a core productive force.

Given that computing infrastructure requires massive power supplies, the Circle’s abundant energy resources provide a strategic advantage in supporting these facilities and balancing the spatial gap between energy supply and computing demand.

The automotive industry remains a pillar of the Circle. Chongqing, a major Chinese automotive hub, ranked first nationally in 2025 with a total output of 2.788 million vehicles. Notably, NEVs accounted for nearly half of this total, reaching 1.296 million units.

According to the key projects, in 2026, the Circle will further strengthen the NEV supply chain by constructing battery and NEV production bases, alongside R&D centers for industry leaders Seres and Changan Automobile.

Consumption is another vital component. Both Chongqing and Chengdu develop international consumption environments, with Chongqing among the first to be cultivated as leading international consumption center city.

Key projects put that in 2026, the two sides will jointly develop international consumption destinations with unique cultural characteristics, upgrading world-renowned business districts such as Guanyinqiao and Jiefangbei in Chongqing, and Chunxi Road in Chengdu.

The bustling Chunxi Road commercial district in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. (Photo/Xinhua)

To bolster international growth, the Circle enhances its logistics infrastructure as a gateway for Western China. Positioned to reach ASEAN markets to the south, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe to the west, and Russia to the north, the key projects emphasize the expansion of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) and the China-Europe Railway Express.

Regarding ecological preservation, the Circle sits on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway. This year's key projects emphasize protecting the Yangtze’s ecosystem and fortifying the ecological security barrier of its upper reaches.

In 2025, the Circle delivered robust results. The 320 joint projects completed an investment of 533.2 billion yuan, reaching 121.1% of the annual target and exceeding all set objectives.

(Zheng Jiayi, as an intern, also contributed to this report. )