Chengdu doing well in sustainable development, industrial upgrade: Experts

Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan province, known at home and abroad for its profound history and hotpot, is doing well in sustainable development and industrial upgrade, experts said at a symposium Thursday.

Co-hosted by the Foreign Talent Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology and Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, the Foreign Experts Symposium invited 7 foreign experts from the UK, Japan, Switzerland, Thailand, Australia and other countries to give advice and suggestions on the city's development.

"I first came to Chengdu 24 years ago, and have been living in Chengdu for 14 years," said Chaphiporn Kiatkachatharn,head of the Association of Thailand-China Educational and Cultural Exchange, and recipient of the Friendship Award granted by the Chinese government.

"Chengdu is doing great in balancing city development and preserving cultural heritage. It also plays an important role in enhancing communication between China and ASEAN countries," he added.

Chengdu will become the third city in the country to have two international airports besides Beijing and Shanghai, after the completion of Tianfu International Airport in 2020. The number of international flight routes will reach 114, connecting 80 countries directly, said Liu Xingjun, deputy secretary-general of Chengdu Municipal People's Government.

"I was impressed by the energy of the city and its development, and the scale and scope of city-planning is incredible," said Jean-Marc Bovet, co-founder of Cirrus Pharmaceuticals, an expert who specializes in lung-disease medical research, after visiting the Tianfu New Area and the Pavilion of City Planning.

The Tianfu Greenway system, which has already been completed and is in operation, covers an area of 5,300 kilometers in the shape of rings and is the world's largest greenway system.

"The goal of the city is to build a garden city, and constantly enhance the quality of people's everyday life," Liu added.

Science and technology also are making the city a better place to live.

The Earthquake Early Warning System, developed by the Institute of Care-life, a local non-profit research center, has not only benefitted local residents but also citizens of the whole country.

The system predicts an upcoming earthquake 10 to 60 seconds earlier so people have more time to evacuate.

So far, the EEWS has deployed 5,800 sensors in China, covering 90 percent of the population living in the earthquake zone, compared to 1,000 sensors in Japan, said Wang Tun, director of the ICL.

"Hi-tech industry contributed to 14 percent of the total 8 percent GDP growth in the city in the past three quarters," said Ding Xiaobin, head of the Science and Technology Bureau of Chengdu Municipal People's Government.

"Besides innovation and development, new-tech has also been applied in enhancing air-quality and reduce pollutants from the catering industry," Ding added.