Chengdu's key role in Opening-up continues

Chengdu is not being complacent about its sweeping achievements in the past 40 years of transforming from an inland hinterland to a frontier of the nation's policy to open up its economy to the outside world — as it puts forward further ambitious goals to contribute to the country's latest round of opening-up.

The capital of southwestern Sichuan province is strengthening its role as a gateway for international exchanges with China's western regions and as a springboard for opening-up among inland cities. The city made a presentation of its open development strategy at a key conference held on June 2. According to the plan, Chengdu will construct a Silk Road air corridor and a sea-railway combined transportation network, based on its international airports and rail ports.

The city in recent years has significantly improved its transportation infrastructure. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport currently operates 106 international routes and 26 freight routes.

Last year a total of 1,012 China-Europe freight trains departed from Chengdu, which accounted for 25 per cent of the total China-Europe rail freight traffic. The trips connected Chengdu with 16 international cities and 14 Chinese cities.

The city is also building Tianfu International Airport, expected to be ready in 2020, at which point Chengdu will be the nation's third city to have two airports, after Beijing and Shanghai. In 2025, the new airport is expected to handle 40 million passengers and 700,000 tonnes of cargoes annually.

In future, Chengdu's advanced global air network will consist of business routes covering 48 core aviation hubs and economic centres around the world, as well as all-cargo routes directly linking to 14 key logistics cities such as Frankfurt, Chicago, Cincinnati and Amsterdam, and another 30 high-quality routes serving cultural and tourist exchanges.

Du Jinyou, head of the city's logistics office, said the next moves would be extremely ambitious.

They aim to improve connections between airport transportation and ground transportation, and to accelerate the pace in building seven international railways and five sea-rail combined transportation channels, in a bid to make Chengdu the hub of the New Eurasian Land Bridge that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The city will expand the Chengdu-Europe railway to the east and develop a second international logistics access route to the west passing through Horgos, a modern city on the China-Kazakhstan border.

Chengdu also plans to build a hub to serve the supply chain for the Belt and Road Initiative and a related resources allocation centre, to meet the needs of multinational companies in their global operations.

The deputy consul general of Israel in Chengdu, Uri Zirinski, said his country had foreseen the huge development potential of Chengdu when it established its consulate in the city in 2014.

He added that, over the past four years, Chengdu's opening-up and development had gone "far beyond" expectations.

In August, Chengdu will launch a direct flight to Tel Aviv, which will further promote communications and co-operation between the two nations, Mr Zirinski said.

He said that Chengdu and Israel had carried out co-operation in agriculture and water resources, and will explore more opportunities in international schools, sports events, the sciences and technology.

Filippo Nicosia, Italian consul general in Chongqing, said Italy had an interest in co-operating with Chengdu to open a regular Chengdu-Italy express railway. Nicosia said he personally very much hoped a direct flight would begin, linking Chengdu and his hometown, Milan.

"The establishment of land and air transportation links would provide more possibilities for co-operation between the two sides", he added.

Chengdu is planning construction of an international investment and trade centre based in its free trade zone. Opened last April, the zone has completed 166 innovative experimental projects and added 29,000 new companies, with a combined registered capital of 397.6 billion yuan (￡46.2 billion).

The city is also trying to get approval for setting up an inland free trade port, with the establishment of a foreign-related business and trade service system in line with international practice.

In 2022, the total volume of the city's imports and exports of goods and services is expected to be worth 1.2 trillion yuan.

Convenient and efficient transportation is important for Chengdu to grow into an international communications centre.

The city has hosted and supported many major international events in recent years, such as the Fortune Global Forum, the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting.

The city's circle of friends is continuously being expanded. Chengdu now has 34 overseas sister cities and is home to 17 consulates.

It plans to attract more international institutions, multinational companies, tourist representative offices and more consulates in the future.