Home » City specials » Chengdu
Diplomats like city’s strategic importance
Print Edition
CHENGDU was buzzing with high-level events related to foreign affairs last month as diplomats, government officials and businessmen from afar wanted to see with their own eyes the strategic center in China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
On July 11, an American delegation from Silicon Valley visited Chengdu. Representatives included nine city mayors and a dozen business leaders in the area known for its leading technology and entrepreneurship.
On July 18, a group of 28 senior diplomats from 26 European countries touched down in the city as part of their training program hosted by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote mutual understanding and enhance bilateral relations.
Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister Xavier-Luc Duval and New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Bill English made the month particularly lively with high-level visits.
All events were related to one theme: Chengdu’s strategic role in China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, and the potential opportunities for places collaborating with the city.
China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative is essentially another “Go West” policy for Chengdu.
China has been vigorously advancing construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the “One Belt, One Road” initiative since 2013, in an effort to create a new driver of growth. It also hopes the initiative better integrates Asia, Europe and even Africa.
The potentially world’s ever-largest project involves 4.4 billion people, or 63 percent of the global population, and economic output valued at US$21 trillion, roughly 29 percent of the world’s wealth.
Despite the growth there is still much potential to unlock.
Yan Xing, deputy director at the Chengdu Academy of Social Sciences, said the initiative provides a unique opportunity to further tap growth in China’s central and western areas, and Chengdu has a strategic position in it.
“Chengdu sits in the middle of the road to connect others. It is a core city which shoulders a bigger responsibility, and at the same time, may enjoy more opportunities than others," Yan said.
According to a blueprint jointly released in March by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, Chengdu is one of the seven cities defined as “highlands” for the initiative.
Gao Zeng’an, a professor at the School of Economics and Management of Southwest Jiaotong University, said: “Chengdu has been selected because it has an important geographical location, which serves as a bridgehead for both China’s western and southern areas. The city also has a good economic foundation to help it become a highland of these highlands.”
As a poster city of the rapid development in China’s western region, Chengdu has attracted more than 268 Fortune Global 500 companies to set up branches in the city. Chengdu is also home to 16 foreign consulates, while 83 international air routes operate out of the city’s airport. A sophisticated railway network is also under construction to connect Chengdu with most key areas within China and to major destinations in neighboring countries.
The city is the economic bellwether of western China. In the first half of this year, Chengdu’s gross domestic product expanded 8 percent from a year earlier, up from 7.4 percent in the first quarter and better than the national average of 7 percent.
In 2014, Chengdu’s gross domestic product, or the output of goods and services, surpassed 1 trillion yuan (US$155.7 billion) for the first time, signaling a significant step forward for the city's economy.
“The previous efforts have set the groundwork for the selection of Chengdu as a core city in the initiative,” Gao said. “Under the initiative, Chengdu will gain more national and international exposure, and it will have more flexibility to innovate and acquire bigger policy support.”
Indeed, Chengdu has already moved into the global spotlight.
Apart from the routine destinations like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the group of senior diplomats visited Chengdu this time, and may make Chengdu a regular stop on future visits.
The city made a deep impression upon the diplomats.
One secondary secretary from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said he fell in love with the city instantly. The pandas, delicious Sichuan cuisine and the magical face changing dances left a lasting impression and he said he can’t wait to start his new job as a diplomat in the planned Czech Consulate in Chengdu, which will open soon.
Diplomats were also eager to know what they could do to help in this “history-making” initiative.
“What kind of projects are companies in Chengdu interested in” and “what should governments do to support investors” have been among the questions raised by diplomats during the trip.
For the diplomats, a clear image of Chengdu has formed. They see it as a city of strategic importance in China’s new growth strategy.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
