Sichuan, Chongqing regions aim to become national technology center

The neighboring southwestern Chinese regions of Sichuan province and Chongqing are working to establish themselves as a national technology center, leveraging their strong industrial foundation and growing technological capabilities.

To secure greater support from the central government, delegations from the two regions plan to present a joint proposal during the two sessions, the upcoming annual gatherings of China's top legislature and political advisory body. The proposal will outline plans to build a nationally influential science and technology innovation center.

Once part of Sichuan, Chongqing became China's fourth municipality directly under the central government in 1997, following Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. In 2021, a master plan was issued to transform the Chengdu-Chongqing region into an economic center with national impact, a key hub for scientific and technological innovation, a model area for reform and opening-up, and a high-quality living zone. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan.

The plan is intended to balance national growth while attracting talent, improving the business environment and fostering new business models in the southwest.

Progress has been made over the past five years in developing a nationally influential science and technology innovation center, Chen Yajun, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a recent conference.

The two regions have already established the Western Science City in both Chengdu and Chongqing, along with key research facilities such as a national high-end aviation equipment technology innovation center in Chengdu, a national supercomputing center in Chengdu and the China-Singapore (Chongqing) supercomputing center in Chongqing. The region is also home to 11 large scientific research devices, including a super transient experimental facility, and has attracted more than 27,000 high-tech companies.

Scientists in Sichuan and Chongqing have access to more than 14,000 large-scale scientific research instruments and pieces of equipment.

In 2023, research and development investment in the Chengdu-Chongqing region reached 210.45 billion yuan ($28.92 billion), a 33 percent increase from 2020. Technology market transactions totaled 228.03 billion yuan, up 62 percent from 2020.

According to China's Economic Daily, the 2024 Global Innovation Index Report by the World Intellectual Property Organization ranked Chengdu 23rd and Chongqing 39th among global technology clusters, up from 47th and 77th in 2020, respectively.

Despite these advancements, challenges remain. Zhou Xiaohua, a member of the Chongqing Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Securities Research Institute at Chongqing University, noted that the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial development is still weak. He said local high-tech enterprises are not yet strong or large enough to lead regional industry.

"The main issue in Sichuan-Chongqing's manufacturing sector lies in the weak horizontal integration of scientific and technological innovation resources among enterprises, universities and research institutes," Zhou said.

He suggested that universities in Chongqing and Chengdu should strengthen cooperation and focus on cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence.

In 2023, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle generated 8.19 trillion yuan in revenue, contributing 6.5 percent to the national economy despite covering only 2 percent of the country's land area.