On December 22, Wulong District of Chongqing held the Launching Ceremony of the 14th Fairy Mountain Ice and Snow Season in Chengdu. Scenic areas such as Mount Siguniang and Xiling Snow Mountain in Sichuan were publicized at the site. In this way, ice and snow scenic areas in Sichuan and Chongqing combined their efforts to attract tourists.
Sichuan and Chongqing join hands to brave the wind and waves. This year, the two places have resolutely implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on promoting the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, firmly established the concept of integrated development, worked together to create a high-level model for regional cooperation, and achieved a number of landmark results in industrial collaboration, policy coordination and project co-construction.
Looking back at the year-end, Sichuan and Chongqing have scored great success in 2023.
In the first 11 months, 248 projects were listed as major projects for the co-construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in 2023, with an annual investment of 370.97 billion yuan, turning ideas into reality.
In the first three quarters, Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle achieved a regional GDP of 5.9 trillion yuan, and its proportion in the national total increased by 0.1 percentage point from the previous year. In terms of policy system, the Implementation Plan for Chengdu and Chongqing to Co-build Belt and Road Cooperation Zone for Science, Technology and Innovation and other plans were issued, and the "7+13" key planning system was basically completed. In terms of working methods, 18 practices of cross-regional cooperation in the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle were publicized by the National Development and Reform Commission.
Sichuan and Chongqing unite their efforts to build the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. The Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, which is about to celebrate its fourth anniversary, is riding on the momentum.
Start a new journey to serve the national strategy and overall development of China
On December 22, the Economic Work Conference of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee was held to make plans for Sichuan's economic work in 2024. "Deepening the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and improving the coordinated regional development" was regarded as the top priority of next year.
On December 25, Chongqing Municipal Leading Group for Promoting the Construction of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle held a meeting to improve the co-construction system, achieve win-win development, further deepen the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, and continuously improve the integrated development level of Chengdu-Chongqing area.
Close cooperation is the core of Sichuan-Chongqing co-construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. It embodies their political and action consciousness to serve the national strategy.
The report to the 20th CPC National Congress listed the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle as a major national strategy. During his visit to Sichuan in July this year, General Secretary Xi stressed the importance of the "overall development" of Sichuan and Chongqing. He called for efforts to strengthen the coordinated development of Chengdu and Chongqing, build a strategic hub for opening up westwards and a new base for international competition, and turn this area into an important growth pole and a new driving force for the high-quality development of western China.
In line with the national strategy and bearing in mind General Secretary Xi's earnest instructions, Sichuan and Chongqing have prioritized "integrated and high-quality development" in the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in 2023. The two places have firmly implemented the new development philosophy, resolutely increased the economic aggregate, and improved the quality of development.
A detail that has been repeatedly emphasized is that Chongqing clearly identifies the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle as the "No. 1 Project" of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and the focus and overall driving force of the city's work. Sichuan Province persists in regarding the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle as the overall driving force for its modernization, integrating it into the whole process of advancing modernization.
With the start of a new journey, Sichuan and Chongqing work more closely together. Since the beginning of this year, Sichuan and Chongqing have proactively carried out pre-research and preparation for major policies, projects, and reforms to promote the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. They also work together to seek support from the national level on 13 specific matters.
If one-tenth of effort goes to planning, nine-tenths should go to implementation. In June 2023, the Seventh Session of the Chongqing-Sichuan Party and Government Joint Meeting for Promoting Construction of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle clarified that 22 joint special groups such as the coordination and joint construction of the dual core were established to improve the cooperation mechanism and refine the scope of cooperation.
The implementation is reflected in fruitful achievements. This year, relying on the joint construction of "national granaries" in southwest China, Sichuan and Chongqing have achieved a total grain output of 46.665 billion kilograms, contributing more strength to ensure a stable grain supply in China.
Foster new growth drivers and continuously enhance the regional development level
Chengdu Dayun Automobile Co.,Ltd. (CDDY) can roll out an electric vehicle in 3.5 minutes on average, which is 1.5 times more efficient compared to the beginning of the year.
The acceleration is due to the localization of CDDY's supply chain at the beginning of this year. In just two months, CDDY established a local supply chain for certain components and parts, including 11 enterprises from Chongqing, raising the local supply rate of components and parts to 35%.
Setting the goal of becoming an important economic center, a scientific and technological innovation center, a new highland for reform and opening up, and a livable place for high-quality life with national influence, Sichuan and Chongqing have accelerated the extension of industrial chains, improved value chains, and perfected supply chains, promoted the joint construction and sharing of innovative resources, jointly planned major reform matters, co-built high-level open platforms, and continuously injected new impetus and vitality into high-quality development this year.
Extend and supplement the industrial chain with a focus on key areas. The focus is on the joint construction of nationally important advanced manufacturing bases and nurturing trillion-yuan-level competitive industries in electronic information, automobile, equipment manufacturing and consumer goods. Since this year, Sichuan and Chongqing have jointly selected the second batch of 15 industrial cooperation demonstration parks in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. The high-quality coordinated development platform for the equipment manufacturing industry in Sichuan and Chongqing has been completed and put into use. In the first three quarters, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle achieved a total industrial added value of 1.68 trillion yuan, up 6% year on year.
Build clusters by virtue of scientific and technological innovation. During the year, the Chengdu-Chongqing (Xinglong Lake) Comprehensive Science Center was officially launched, and the construction of five major scientific and technological infrastructures including the China Seismic Experimental Site commenced. A total of 17 national key laboratories in Sichuan and Chongqing have been optimized and restructured. Construction of scientific and technological innovation infrastructures such as cross-scale vector light fields and quasi-ring symmetrical stellarators have been initiated, and original innovation clusters such as advanced nuclear energy and biological medicine were emerging.
Establish platforms for reform and opening up. This year, the overall plan was issued to build functional platforms through cooperation among 10 adjacent regions. Based on this plan, further reform of moderate separation between economic zones and administrative districts was implemented. With a focus on integrated urban-rural development, Sichuan and Chongqing are collaborating to enhance the accessibility of quality medical resources in rural areas and ensure a more equitable distribution between urban and rural areas. Ten districts, including Rongchang District of Chongqing and Qingyang District of Chengdu, are speeding up the establishment of the first pilot areas for the integrated development of urban and rural compulsory education in the Chengdu-Chongqing area to explore new approaches to integrated urban-rural development.
Collaborate to deepen opening-up. Since this year, the China Railway Express freight trains in Chengdu and Chongqing have adopted a uniform logo, basic fare system, and dispatching system. In the first three quarters, Chengdu and Chongqing saw 4,248 trips by China Railway Express freight trains. During the same period, the total number of international and regional air routes between Chengdu and Chongqing amounted to 103.
Create a high-quality livable space to enjoy a new life together
Currently, it takes just 10 minutes to process endowment insurance-related matters for Chengdu residents in Chongqing,and only five minutes to process ID card-related matters for Chongqing residents in Chengdu.
On average, there are 101 high-speed trains operating between Chengdu and Chongqing daily. More than 90,000 passengers travel between the two cities via high-speed rail every day. The dual-city lifestyle of more and more residents is transforming into a seamless urban experience. These noticeable and tangible changes are attributable to the collaborative efforts of Sichuan and Chongqing in their pursuit of building a high-quality livable space throughout this year.
Public service offerings facilitate "integration". Since the beginning of this year, Sichuan and Chongqing have made a clear schedule to launch 32 standardized and collaborative pilot items, involving employment, social security, and talent, among other aspects, aiming to harmonize the handling of matters with the uniform standards in the Chengdu-Chongqing area. In the first 11 months, Sichuan and Chongqing facilitated the exchange of 140 million pieces of social security data in batches and increased the number of trans-regional service outlets for handling social security matters to 5,857. Moreover, the restrictions on household registration of housing provident fund payers in Sichuan and Chongqing have been lifted, granting them the freedom to purchase property or withdraw their housing provident fund outside the designated payment location. Furthermore, Sichuan and Chongqing have introduced seven "one-time handling" items, 34 "document-free handling" items, and nine cross-regional digital scenarios. As of the end of November, the number of Sichuan and Chongqing Joint Processing items reached 311, with over 15 million cases processed under this initiative.
Clear water and blue skies are not only synonymous with our overall sense of well-being but also significantly contribute to enhancing our quality of life. Since this year, Sichuan and Chongqing have collaborated in implementing the "three lines and one list" (the ecological protection red line, environmental quality bottom line, resource utilization upper limit, and environmental access negative list) ecological zoning control system in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and surrounding areas. Over 10 million mu of forests have been planted along both banks of the Yangtze River. Moreover, 238 water supply stations in Chongqing and 331 in Sichuan have initiated data sharing. In the first 11 months, the water quality in the Sichuan-Chongqing section of the mainstream of the Yangtze River was maintained at Class II, positioning it as one of the leading water areas in China. With a shared focus on air pollution prevention and control, Sichuan and Chongqing have jointly established China's first trans-provincial mechanism dedicated to early warning and joint prevention of environmental risks arising from new pollutants. In the first three quarters, the percentages of days with excellent and good air quality in Chongqing and Sichuan respectively recorded 89.7% and 85.3%, showing a steady upward trend.
Green and low-carbon lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular. Since this year, the green travel model of "rail traffic + bus + walk" between Sichuan and Chongqing has been rapidly taking shape. Seven cities in the province and municipality have been honored as nationally qualified cities for green travel development assessment. In April, the Sichuan-Chongqing joint service platform for carbon neutrality was launched, and six development zones made efforts to achieve the objectives of zero-carbon emission park pilot projects.
