Chongqing Daily Observer | 124 Projects Signed at WCIFIT with Contracts Exceeding RMB200 billion, Accelerating "New Chongqing" Development

On May 22, the 7th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) held a major project signing ceremony, inking 124 on-site projects with a total contract value exceeding RMB200 billion. Additionally, during the WCIFIT period, multiple districts and counties in Chongqing are expected to sign further projects totaling over RMB100 billion.

On May 22, the signing ceremony for major projects of the 7th WCIFIT was held at Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center. Photo by Reporter Zhang Jinhui/Visual Chongqing

The journalist learned that these signed cooperation projects primarily focus on advancing Chongqing's "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system, providing strong support for accelerating the development of the new Chongqing.

Four Key Features of the Signed Projects Highlight Chongqing's Favorable Investment Environment

"The signing and implementation of these major projects will drive the continuous enhancement of our city's industrial capabilities and core competitiveness, creating new opportunities and injecting fresh momentum for building a modern industrial system. This will further support Chongqing's development as a key growth engine for high-quality development in the western region under the new era of the Western Development Strategy," said an official from the Chongqing Economic and Information Commission. The signing of these major projects aligns with the theme of this year's Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) - "New Western China, New Manufacturing, New Services" - and has facilitated the landing of a series of high-impact projects with strong leadership and driving effects in Chongqing. These projects highlight Chongqing's favorable investment environment and are characterized by four key features:

Facilitating orderly industrial relocation. Among the signed projects, 122 industrial projects - with a total contracted value of nearly RMB170 billion - originate from eastern and central China such as Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hubei, accounting for the majority of the total contracted amount. Notably, 110 projects are from eastern provinces, with Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shanghai serving as the primary sources of industrial relocation to Chongqing.

Jointly building the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. Chongqing has proactively supported national strategies by strengthening industrial chain collaboration with provinces and cities along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, including Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Guangxi. A total of 46 industrial cooperation projects were signed, with a contracted value of nearly RMB40 billion.

Simultaneous growth in quantity and quality. Nearly 100 projects with investments exceeding RMB 1 billion were signed, including 62 projects from Global and Fortune China 500 companies, Specialized, Refined, Distinctive and Innovative enterprises, industry leaders, and listed companies. These will provide robust support for Chongqing's development of new quality productive forces.

Strengthening key industrial chains. Close to 170 projects - with a total contracted value of nearly RMB160 billion - focus on reinforcing, extending, and upgrading key industrial chains, including intelligent connected new energy vehicles, next-generation electronic information manufacturing, and advanced materials. These will further optimize Chongqing's key industrial and supply chain systems, enhancing competitiveness in critical segments.

Targeted Efforts in the Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Industry

In Chongqing's "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system, the trillion-level intelligent connected new energy vehicle (NEV) industry takes the lead, underscoring the notion that "a thriving automotive sector means a thriving Chongqing." Among the 124 major signed projects achieved this time, many are closely tied to this industry, demonstrating a clear focus on "targeted efforts" in this field.

For example, Yuzhong District has reached a major agreement with Brightronic (Chongqing) Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Brightronic") to jointly develop a vehicle controller software platform project in Chongqing, further fueling the growth of the city's intelligent connected NEV industry.

Wang Cong, General Manager of Brightronic, introduced that the company's R&D team possesses years of experience in embedded vehicle controller and telematics development and management. By focusing on both hardware and software development for vehicle controllers, as well as integrated controller software and cloud services, the company's products span automotive hardware, software, sensors, system integration, and cloud platforms, accelerating the intelligent, connected, and digital transformation of "Made-in-Chongqing" vehicles.

"After signing this agreement with Yuzhong District, we will concentrate on the localization of chip technology solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry in Southwestern China while simultaneously launching a full-solution platform for domestic chips in Yuzhong," Wang said. He noted that Brightronic's self-developed products have already obtained multiple national certifications and have partnered with domestic automotive and motorcycle brands such as Nanfang Motor and Guangdong Wuyang, achieving mass production of over 100,000 units. Moving forward, these "Chongqing-made" auto parts will join "Chongqing-built" vehicles in actively expanding into overseas markets.

Another major signed project - a highlight of auto parts industry cooperation at this WCIFIT - is the "Wansheng Senate Ultra-Lightweight, High-Stiffness, Noise-Reducing Wheel Hub Manufacturing Project," jointly developed by Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone and Guangzhou Senate Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Guangzhou Senate") with a total investment of RMB2 billion, to be constructed in two phases.

Zhang Qifeng, Chairman of Guangzhou Senate, stated that as a high-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D and manufacturing of aluminum alloy wheels and core components for NEVs, Senate aligns closely with Wansheng's manufacturing layout. Senate's "ultra-lightweight, high-stiffness, noise-reducing wheel hub" technology represents the cutting-edge trend in the auto parts industry. These wheel hub products will fully meet the performance demands of "Chongqing-made" NEVs, supporting local automakers such as Changan Automobile and Seres in expanding both domestic and international markets.

A Batch of Emerging Industry Projects Accelerate the Formation of New Quality Productive Forces

Strategic emerging industries - characterized by strong innovation-driven capabilities, significant knowledge spillover effects, robust self-upgrading capacity, and broad regional economic impact - serve as critical vehicles for developing new quality productive forces. Among the major signed projects at this WCIFIT, a cluster of emerging industry initiatives has drawn particular attention.

One highlight is the agreement between Jiangbei District and China Energy Engineering Gezhouba Group Clean Energy Company to jointly establish a "Central SOE Clean Energy Headquarters" project with a registered capital of RMB6 billion. This collaboration will anchor the headquarters in Jiangbei, leveraging the synergistic effect of central-local partnerships ("1+1>2") to advance R&D and application in hydropower, pumped storage, wind-solar renewables, integrated energy systems, new energy storage, and hydrogen-ammonia-alcohol-fuel technologies. The project aims to transform Jiangbei into a national-level clean energy industrial cluster.

A representative from China Energy Engineering Gezhouba Group Clean Energy Company's preparatory team stated that the partnership would capitalize on Jiangbei's geographic advantages and CGGC's integrated technical resources to develop investment-construction-operation synergies in clean energy. It will also contribute to the "AI-powered Xinjiang Computing for Chongqing" initiative while bolstering the city's clean energy security functions. The goal is to build a nationally competitive clean energy investment and operations firm, supporting energy structure optimization in western China.

Another energy-focused project involves Liangjiang New Area and Chongqing Jinyuyun Energy Technology Co., Ltd. ("Jinyuyun"). The two parties will collaborate to create the Jinyuyun Energy Technology Industrial Base in Liangjiang's Innovation Zone, utilizing Jinyuyun's data expertise to provide energy market analytics, decision-making tools, and risk management solutions for Chongqing and western regions.

Low-altitude economy, a burgeoning industrial frontier, also featured prominently in the signings.

For instance, East Hope Group Co., Ltd. partnered with Yongchuan District to invest RMB500 million in urban air mobility (UAM) operations, including low-altitude tourism, flight training, aerial camps, and passenger transport. The initial phase will launch Yongchuan's first regular low-altitude sightseeing routes, connecting attractions like Da'an Airport, Leheledu Animal Theme Park, Tea Mountains and Bamboo Sea, Songji Ancient Town, and Shisun Mountain with themed experiences such as "City Overlook," "Bamboo Sea Flight," and "Yangtze River Aerial Tour".

Later stages will expand to intra-city and Sichuan-Chongqing low-altitude corridors, supported by flight service centers, training bases, and UAM hubs. The project will integrate scenarios like "low-altitude + tourism," "low-altitude + events," "low-altitude + science & education," and "low-altitude + emergency rescue," forming a comprehensive low-altitude application matrix.

Source: New Chongqing - Chongqing Daily