Chongqing- "Chongqing and its surrounding provinces are strategically well situated along the planned routes for the Belt and Road Initiative, where the government has done a good job in terms of developing logistics, roads, trains and other infrastructures," said Mike Lim, Managing Partner of China at DHR International.

Established in 1989, DHR International serves as one of the largest retained executive search firms in the world, with more than 50 offices around the globe. DHR International provides executive search services, succession planning, and middle management or emerging leaders search solutions.

How Chongqing is reaching out to the world?

As of now, Chongqing has achieved the goal of connecting rivers to the sea and reaching out to the world. To the east, it connects the port city cluster along the Yangtze River Economic Zone all the way down the Yangtze River to the Pacific Ocean, covering the entire Asian-Pacific region.

To the west, there is the China Railway Express to Europe departing from Tuanjie Village Station of Chongqing, connecting northwest China with central Asia and Europe.

To the south, it directly links to the China-Singapore Connectivity Initiative New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, connecting with coastal cities in southern China, the ASEAN, and South Asia.

To the north, Chongqing has the Chongqing-Manzhouli-Russia freight railway at the joint of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Zone, where the city has become a comprehensive transportation hub of railway, air, water, and public transportation.

Prompt response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Lim, as one of the panel speakers that going to present at the 2021 Asia Enterprise of Tomorrow Conference, will discuss the powering growth of China and a global opportunity for the rest of Asian countries.

Originally from Singapore, Lim has been a China executive for over 18 years with extensive experience covering China, Singapore and Indian sub-continent countries. His specialties include Board and C-level executive searches in the technology, professional services, and clean tech energy sectors.

"If you look at the the way the countries are controlling the pandemic," said Lim. "I think overall, Asia, will recover much faster as a whole. China, in particular, has realdy recovered."

Lim sees China has loosened restrictions and re-opened large parts of its economy. Individuals scan government-mandated QR health codes with their smartphones, and daily life has been restored to some sense of normalcy with restaurants serving customers and retail shops open to shoppers.

Chongqing becoming a premier hub for technology

According to Lim, multinational companies are more conservative in investing in China, putting their focuses on core business, while Chinese companies are optimistic about the opportunities for leapfrog development and expansion of new markets. 

With relatively cheaper labor, well-developed infrastructure, integrated industrial clusters and supply chains, and sound business environment, as well as benefiting from national policies, Chongqing is standing out as a major destination for foreign investment in China’s central and western regions.

"If I compare Southwest China with Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou," said Lim. "Chongqing would be relatively more competitive." He thinks Chongqing is a city in full of potential and opportunities.

Meanwhile, Lim sees opportunities in digital Asia with the advancement of technology, and the proliferation of 5G technology across everywhere in China.

"I noticed there are lots of cloud data centers and headquarters set by big internet and tech companies in Chongqing," said Lim. "I think that would serve to expedite the the speed of Chongqing becoming a premier hub for technology."

(Du Min, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)