Chongqing's Advantages in the Development of the West

In developing the west, Chongqing has 9 advantages in 3 aspects:

Compared with other parts of China, Chongqing has 3 advantages that are commonly shared by all other provinces and cities in western China: abundant resources, great potential market, and comparatively cheap labor.

Compared with other cities and provinces in the western regions, Chongqing has advantages over most other cities and provinces in west China: a high level in science, technology and education; concentration of talents; and a better industrial foundation.

And Chongqing has it own advantages: It is the only municipality directly under the central government, the largest metropolis on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the largest industrial and commercial center in southwest China. The city has good infrastructural facilities, convenient communication, a sound economic foundation, a higher level of science, technology and education, and has great influence over its surrounding areas. It is the only city in west China that has the facilities of the gold waterway--the Yangtze River. Located in the Three Gorges Dam area, the city enjoys the special advantage brought about by the development of the dam area. The dam area is an important link between the eastern part and the western part of the country, on the axis of potential economic development, and Chongqing has the unique advantage of linking up the west with the east, and has abundant natural resources.

Strategic Targets for Chongqing’s Development

Development of the western regions of China is a long-term strategic task that will take a few decades of hard struggle accomplish. According to the strategic task set by the central authorities, and taking into consideration the concrete conditions of Chongqing, the city has made its targets as follows:

Target of the near future: make a start of development of the west in the first year; and in the next 5 years, make breakthrough in construction of infrastructural facilities, biological construction and environment protection, strategic readjustment of the structure the city's economy, reform of State-owned enterprises and transformation of old industrial bases, promote science, technology and education, and lay a solid foundation for the development of national economy at a high speed.

The mid-term target: Development of the west will take 10 years to produce remarkable results. Chongqing will become an economic center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River by 2020. A prosperous economic sphere of the metropolis, the western Chongqing economic corridor, and the biological economic area in the Three Gorges Dam area will take shape. Comprehensive economic strength of the city will be further increased to rank among the best in the western region and reach the average level in the whole country.

The long-term target: Be the first to reach the goal in the development of the west set by the central government, which means, by 2030, be the first among provinces and cities in west China to reach the target of economic prosperity, social progress, stable life, unity of different ethnic groups, greener mountains and clearer rivers and a happier life for the people, and gradually become an international metropolis.

Build Three Economic Development Zones

To practice and propel the policy of West Development, Chongqing People's Government divided Chongqing into three zones according to its natural, economic and social conditions in order to form an economy with its unique characters and advantages and to construct an economic center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The three economic development zones are:

----Advanced economic sphere of the main urban part of the metropolis

The main part of urban Chongqing is made up of 9 districts such as the Yuzhong District, the Shapingba District, the Jiangbei District, the Jiulongpo District, the Nan'an District and the Beibei District, covering an area of 5,472 kilometers, with a population of 5,357,000. This part of Chongqing will focus on developing industries of high technology and tertiary industry. Meanwhile, this area will be made a center of finance, commerce, science, education, culture and information on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and a hub of communications and a pivot of telecommunications with improved municipal functions.

----West Chongqing economic corridor

This zone includes 12 districts and counties along the expressways and railways between Chengdu and Chongqing, between Chongqing and Guizhou, National Way No. 319 and No. 212, the Chongqing-Hechuan Expressway, and the expressway and railway to be built between Suining and Chongqing. This zone covers an area of 18,828 square kilometers with a population of 9,907,000. This zone, with its convenient communication, can better help Chongqing, the economic center, serve as a radiator and a driving force to other areas. This zone will, by closely coordinating with cities along these communication lines, speed up construction of smaller cities and towns and help promote transformation of agricultural economy. This will attract enterprises and industries to cities along the communication lines and form a few belts of concentrated industries and, therefore, further enhance the economic power of the western Chongqing area.

----Biological economic zone of the Three Gorges Dam area

This zone embraces 19 districts and counties in the Three Gorges Dam area and the neighboring Daba Mountains and Wuling Mountains which share similar natural and economic conditions, with an area of 58,102 square kilometers and a population of 15,459,000. To coordinate with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam project, this area will combine infrastructure construction (including construction of facilities of communication, cities and towns, information, etc.), relocation of population for economic development, protection and construction of biological environment, choice and layout of industries, development and protection of advantageous natural resources, and embark on the road of biological economic development, so as to achieve a harmonious unity of economic benefits, social results and biological results.