Xi travels to Chongqing on first trip of 2016

President Xi Jinping inspects the Guoyuan Port in Liangjiang New Area, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Jan 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping paid his first visit on Monday since taking office to Chongqing municipality, a city once clouded by the scandal of its high-profile former party chief, Bo Xilai.

The trip, on the first work day of the new year, highlights the importance of the municipality's impressive economic performance.

As the only municipality in the country's west, Chongqing made headlines over the past several years because of Bo, a former member of China's powerful Politburo, who was later sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power in 2013.

According to reports by the Xinhua News Agency, connectivity and cutting-edge technology were the focus of Xi's visit to the city, a starting point of the trans-Eurasia Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe international railway route.

When inspecting Guoyuan Port on Monday afternoon, Xi said "great" when told that countries along the rail route have all subscribed to the "one check for clearance approvals" .

The port is a comprehensive transport hub accommodating rail, highways and waterways, and is home to 16 ship berths that can handle vessels of 5,000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage).

"This is full of promise," Xi said when he saw various facilities at the port.

At the Chongqing BOE Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd, a branch of China's display manufacturing giant BOE, Xi examined the presentation of flexible screens and ultra high definition displays.

Xi said "top priority should be placed on innovation", an area where he expected to see major progress.

Chongqing has a population of around 30 million and its annual GDP in 2014 hit 1.42 trillion yuan ($217.8 billion).

The city's heavyweight industries such as vehicle manufacturing, electronics, information technology and equipment manufacturing have undergone rapid development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

Chongqing's annual GDP in 2015 is estimated to record a year-on-year increase of 11 percent, Xinhua News Agency said.