Chongqing - How is China’s next phase of growth taking shape beyond its major city centers? Kaizhou District in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality offers one local example, with a new five-year plan translating broader development goals into action at the district level.

The cliffside road in Shuangping Village, Manyue Town, Kaizhou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Kaizhou District)

Kaizhou lies in northeastern Chongqing, far from the municipality’s better-known skyline and dense urban center. As a mountainous district in the Three Gorges Reservoir region, it faces challenges familiar to many inland communities worldwide: creating local jobs, improving transport, protecting the environment and making everyday life more convenient for residents.

Kaizhou has set concrete targets for 2030. Yang Hong, secretary of the CPC Kaizhou District Committee, said the district aims to exceed 100 billion yuan (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) in economic output and expand its urban area to 70 square kilometers with 700,000 residents, backed by projects covering industry, ecology, transport, culture and public services.

The landscape of Kaizhou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Kaizhou District)

Kaizhou will strengthen manufacturing through the "1223" modern manufacturing cluster system, focusing on industries including new materials and cultural and creative products.

The district will also develop a "102030" innovation system, including more than 10 technology innovation platforms, breakthroughs in more than 20 key technological areas and more than 30 major innovation achievements.

A technology factory in Kaizhou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Kaizhou District)

Agriculture will remain a key sector. Kaizhou plans to establish itself as a national demonstration area for agricultural modernization by developing five major sectors: medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, livestock and grain.

The district will build a modern seed innovation base, a southwest flower planting and trading center, and ecological agricultural corridors along the Yangtze River.

An expansive ecological tea plantation in Dajin Town, Kaizhou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Kaizhou District)

In services, Kaizhou aims to become a consumption center and service industry hub in northeastern Chongqing. It plans to expand modern finance, logistics and consumer services, with service sector added value targeted at 60 billion yuan.

Located in the core area of the Three Gorges Reservoir region, Kaizhou has made ecological protection a key part of its future development strategy.

The district plans to develop mechanisms that convert ecological resources into economic value, including trading systems for water rights, forest rights and carbon credits.

Kaizhou's ecological quality index has ranked first in Chongqing for four consecutive years. The district is also home to the cliff cypress, a rare plant species once considered extinct that was rediscovered and successfully cultivated there.

A countryside homestay in Kaizhou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Kaizhou District)

Kaizhou's plan pairs green growth with stronger connectivity, targeting more than 1.9 million tonnes in cumulative carbon trading while developing cliff cypress-based wellness tourism, cultural products and educational programs. It also seeks to strengthen the district as a logistics hub through expanded rail, highway, waterway and aviation links.

By 2030, the district aims to establish a "two railways, six highways, one airport and one port" transport network, creating a logistics system that allows half-hour access to nearby Wanzhou and Kaizhou areas, two-hour access to the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and six-hour access to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The district will also strengthen its role as a regional computing hub by developing the Chongqing-Kaizhou supercomputing center and expanding cooperation with technology companies on artificial intelligence applications.

Kaizhou plans to promote cultural development by integrating Qinba culture, Three Gorges culture and other regional traditions.

It also aims to accelerate the creation of the Hanfeng Lake national tourism resort and develop outdoor sports destinations.

For residents, Kaizhou will improve education, healthcare and employment services through cooperation with leading schools and hospitals.

The district will promote the "Kaizhou Golden Chef" brand to support employment and entrepreneurship. Officials said Kaizhou will also launch programs to attract young entrepreneurs and skilled professionals as part of its effort to support economic and social development during the 2026-2030 period.