CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, July 31, 2019 | 7

years onYEARS ON CHONGQING

Editor's Note: As the People’s Republic of China prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary on Oct 1, China Daily is featuring a series of stories on the role regions have played in the country’s development and where they are today. Finding what’s best to lead nation’s west

Municipality seeks solutions to lift less­developed areas out of poverty

By TAN YINGZI in Chongqing [email protected]

Until three years ago, Meng Min could barely have imagined return­ ing home to Chongqing to start up a company. The former chief scientist at Covance, one of the world’s larg­ est drug development companies, had studied and worked in the Unit­ ed States for 24 years. But attracted by China’s fast­ growing pharmaceutical industry and favorable local policies, Meng returned to her hometown in 2016 and started her own bio­analytical laboratory, Chongqing Denali Med­ pharma, in the city’s development zone. “Chongqing is the youngest municipality in China. You can reach your goals here if you have sol­ id knowledge and skills,” she said. Back in 1980s when Meng was a high school student, Chongqing, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, was just another polluted industrial city known for its large motor and vehicle manufacturing An aerial view of cars parked at Guoyuan Port in Chongqing, waiting to be transported to other parts of the country along the Yangtze River. WANG QUANCHAO / XINHUA industry. She and other ambitious young people in the inland city usu­ ally chose to pursue their dreams in Area: 82,402 square kilometers Annual per capita disposable In the north, it links the China­ yuan to set up Chongqing OneSpace major cities, such as Beijing and income of urban residents Europe freight trains, launched Technology Company, enough capi­ Shanghai, or go abroad. Unit: yuan 34,889 from many western Chinese cities, tal for Shu to follow his dream of 2018 31.02 ($5,065) But now, more highly talented 35000 before they head to Central Asia building an engine. people like Meng are moving to 30000 25,216 and Europe. In the past two years, the Liang­ Chongqing, recognized as an open, 25000 Compared with the traditional jiang New Area has raised a total of 20000 prosperous and attractive place to 15000 13,715 route via the Yangtze River and 500 million yuan for the project and work and live. 10000 5,467 7,200 Shanghai, the new route is a faster helped OneSpace become the first Since the founding of the People’s Chongqing 5000 way to connect China’s inland west­ Chinese private company to launch 0 Republic of China in 1949, Chong­ 2012 29.45 1998 2002 2007 2013 2018 ern region with major ports in the a rocket. qing has played several important south, saving about 20 days in trans­ Now, the company has signed roles in the country’s development, Annual per capita disposable port time. launch agreements with many cli­ from a major industrial base to a income of rural residents Opened in 2011, the rail link ents at home and abroad, and its Population Unit: yuan national defense manufacturing Unit: million 13,781 between Chongqing and Duisburg, launch program is fully booked until area in the 1960s. 15000 ($2,001) Germany, has also become another next year. In 1997, it became China’s fourth GDP 12000 integral transport link and vital The Liangjiang New Area has tak­ 2004 27.93 Unit: billion yuan municipality after Beijing, Shanghai 9000 8,332 artery of the Belt and Road Initia­ en the lead in industrial transforma­ and Tianjin. Covering 82,402 square 6000 tive. Goods can be transported along tion and upgrades in order to help kilometers, it’s by far the largest of 3,506 the 11,179­kilometer route in about Chinese companies compete against 3000 1,720 2,080 the four, even bigger in area than the 2,036.3 13 days. the rest of the world. It explores 0 Republic of Ireland or the Czech ($295.64 billion) 1998 2002 2007 2013 2018 “Chongqing has found a feasible innovative finance models to pro­ Republic. 2018 way to open up to international mar­ mote the rapid growth of emerging Since 1999, the metropolis in 2000 28.49 kets and it can provide a set of solu­ industries, such as robotics, biomed­ Southwest China has become a lead­ 579.4 tions for other inland regions,” said icine, information technology and er in the country’s development pro­ 2008 Du Shulin, a senior official from the new energy. 160.2 gram for the western regions which Liangjiang New Area. It has attracted 60 billion yuan in 1998 lag behind the affluent eastern market capital to those fields by set­ coastal areas. 26.1 Quality manufacturing ting up a 2 billion yuan equity invest­ 1988 In 2010, China’s third national 1997 28.73 On May 17, 2018, Chongqing ment fund for strategic emerging development zone, the Chongqing 7.2 Liangjiang Star, China’s first carrier industries. Leading companies, such Liangjiang New Area, was estab­ 1978 rocket designed and built by a pri­ as BOE Technology Group and lished after the Shanghai Pudong vate company, was launched suc­ Japan’s robot manufacturing com­ and Tianjin Binhai new areas. Since Source: Chongqing Municipal Government MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY cessfully in Northwest China. pany Kawasaki, have benefited then, it has explored new approach­ “If you want to make a rocket, you greatly from those strategies. es for inland reform and opening­ must build an engine first,” said Shu To date, 149 Fortune 500 compa­ up. opment in manufacturing and lead which had to be delivered in a short under the China­Singapore Chang, founder and chief executive nies have settled in Liangjiang. During his inspection trip to the opening­up of the entire western amount of time. But now, we can do (Chongqing) Demonstration Initia­ of Chongqing OneSpace Technology. Last year, Chongqing hosted Chi­ Chongqing in 2016, President Xi Jin­ region. business with almost everyone at tive on Strategic Connectivity “When I visited my teachers at na’s first Smart Expo which attracted ping said the municipality was “full home and abroad.” signed in 2016. Beihang University and some Chi­ 316 projects with a total of 567 billion of promise” and would become an Inland hub The Liangjiang New Area, boast­ Han Baochang, director of the nese rocket experts, do you know yuan investment. The expo will be inland international logistics hub. In the past, mountainous Chong­ ing a large river port, airport and demonstration initiative’s adminis­ what they told me? They said ‘You held in Chongqing every year. In April, Xi visited Chongqing qing relied on the Yangtze River to railway network, has helped tration committee, said the trade can never build an engine if you “Smart Expo will provide a driv­ again and said that the city should connect with the outside world. Chongqing become an internation­ corridor links 160 ports in 71 coun­ don’t have 1 billion yuan ($145 mil­ ing force for Chongqing’s industrial strive for new achievements and “It was really slow,” said Wang al trade and logistics hub connect­ tries and regions worldwide. lion)’.” transformation and high­quality breakthroughs under the drive to Chenghua, deputy general manager ing China, Europe and Southeast In the south, the trade corridor Shu decided eventually to work development,” said Wu Cunrong, develop the west of the country in of the international business Asia. runs from western China to Qin­ with Chongqing Liangjiang Aviation deputy mayor of Chongqing. the new era. department of Changan Minsheng It is also the starting point of the zhou port in the Guangxi Zhuang and the Aerospace Industrial Park to “By 2022, the sales income of our He stressed that Chongqing APLL Logistics. New International Land­Sea Trade autonomous region, which con­ raise the funds. smart industry will try to reach 1 should promote high­quality devel­ “We often had to refuse orders Corridor, which was developed nects to Southeast Asia. They each contributed 80 million trillion yuan,” he added. City clears the way for a green future

By TAN YINGZI in Chongqing bet Plateau eastward through In order to reduce water pollution Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing and soil erosion on the upper reach­ Chongqing was known as “fog before reaching the East China Sea es of the Yangtze, Chongqing is also city” in the 1980s and ’90s when it at Shanghai. looking at ways to solve drainage suffered through more than 100 More than 400 million people get problems. days of heavy air pollution every their drinking water from the river, Yuelai New City in the Liangjiang year. and water security has become a New Area development zone is one But the municipality’s 30 million major issue in China’s development. of 16 “sponge cities” taking part in a residents are now enjoying a greater With 691 km of the Yangtze River program testing climate­resilient number of clear days due to govern­ running through the municipality, urban designs. ment efforts in recent years to Chongqing has made environmen­ To prevent flooding, sponge cities improve environmental protection. tal protection a priority, concentrat­ store rainwater and release it during Last year, the air quality index ing on ecological restoration and times of drought or for irrigation showed 316 days of the year were protection and avoiding large­scale and cleaning. either “good” or “moderate”. development. Clean water initiatives are already During his inspection tour of Chongqing has built an “ecologi­ showing results. Last year, all 64 Once known as “fog city”, Chongqing has a greater number of clear days than previous years. Chongqing in 2016, President Xi Jin­ cal red line” around 2.04 million major water sources in Chongqing’s SU SI / FOR CHINA DAILY ping urged the municipality to hectares of land to strengthen envi­ urban areas met the national stan­ become a pleasant place with clear ronmental protection. The red dard required for drinking water. water and green mountains. zones, approved early last year by The local government has opted The development zone once which could not be treated. zation is one of the major tasks of The quality of water running China’s cabinet for 15 provincial­lev­ for green development in recent rejected a 3 billion yuan ($434.8 As the pioneer and model of the new area,” said Duan Cheng­ through Chongqing is not only el regions, can be developed as long years and rejected more than 780 million) project because it failed Chongqing’s sustainable develop­ gang, director of the new area’s important to the city itself, but also as environmental functions are not projects due to harmful environ­ the environment impact evalua­ ment, the new area has strictly fol­ administrative committee. many other parts of the country. harmed. ment impacts. Forty­eight percent tion. It decided the glass­material lowed the green path. Last year, it “We must make environment pro­ The Yangtze, the world’s third­ The zones cover nature reserves, of Chongqing municipality is now production project would emit halted 20 projects due to environ­ tection the top priority of our work longest river, flows 6,300 kilometers scenic areas, forest parks, geological covered with trees, compared with dangerous gases such as sulfur mental concerns. and unswervingly adhere to the pro­ from the glaciers of the Qinghai­Ti­ parks and wetlands. only 32 percent in 2005. dioxide and nitrogen oxygen, “Developing an ecological civili­ tection plan.”