Sichuan "Intelligent Manufacturing" Takes Center Stage at WCIFIT; Project Signings Give New Impetus to "Dual-Circle" Development

The 6th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) opened on May 23. Red Star News (chengdu.cn) learned from the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economic Cooperation that more than 40 cutting-edge "Sichuan intelligent manufacturing" products made their debut, while a batch of industrial projects were signed and earmarked for the province, accelerating construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.

At the fair's opening, the Sichuan Pavilion - built around the theme "Sichuan-Chongqing Together, Coordinated Development" - unveiled four themed zones: Joint Sichuan-Chongqing Projects, Sichuan Intelligent Manufacturing, Sichuan Power Hub, and Sichuan Quality Items. Exhibits spanned intelligent manufacturing, AI systems, food and textiles; signature items such as "Sichuan Tea" and "Sichuan Liquor" were also on display.

The Sichuan Intelligent Manufacturing zone drew a steady stream of professional visitors. At the Chengdu Timestech Co., Ltd. stand, Belarusian buyer Valeria Sokol was deep in conversation with sales manager Sun Nengzhi. "We're a high-tech drone developer and manufacturer," Sun explained. "Our drones and integrated air-space-ground AI command platforms serve emergency response and other sectors. Last year we opened a factory in Europe."

Sichuan's "new trio" of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products is also on display. Sichuan Dongci New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is showcasing solar cells produced at its Yibin plant. Huang Ruolan, the company's process engineer, noted that the Yibin plant is a fully 5G-connected intelligent manufacturing of the future. All equipment is linked via 5G networks, and AGV shuttles can pinpoint any production-line unit in seconds to handle transport tasks, significantly boosting efficiency.

More than 50 buyers toured the Sichuan Pavilion on opening day to explore partnerships and opportunities. A spokesperson for the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economic Cooperation said the province will use WCIFIT to deepen supply-chain collaboration with Chongqing in automobiles, electronics and new energy, and to strengthen trade ties with domestic and overseas partners

During the fair, Sichuan's participating cities and prefectures held targeted talks and signed a slate of industrial projects. Guang'an, for example, clinched 3 agreements on WCIFIT. "As a neighbor of Chongqing, we brought 50-plus enterprises to highlight our strengths in advanced materials, electronics and biomedicine," said a spokesperson for Guang'an Bureau of Economic Cooperation. "We will continue small-team investment missions to secure even more projects."

Data released for 2023 show the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle generated a combined GDP of RMB 8.19 trillion. The two cities have jointly built 3 national advanced-manufacturing clusters and 4 national strategic-emerging-industry clusters; the region's electronic-information sector alone exceeds RMB1.6 trillion and is charging toward world-class status. The Chengdu-Chongqing China-Europe Railway Express now serves 112 cities across Eurasia, with 16,000 cumulative departures, cementing the area's role as a growth pole and power source driving high-quality development in Western China.

Source: Red Star News (chengdu.cn)