CHONGQING: Liangjiang New Area is China's first inland national-level new area. It covers an area of 1,200 square kilometers, including regions of Jiangbei, Yubei and Beibei districts. Liangjiang's permanent resident population was 2.7 million people in 2020. It was learnt on the visit arranged by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges for a wide range of delegations belonging to different countries. Officials briefed to the delegation that the new area is accelerating the construction of an inland gateway for opening-up and an intelligent city, striving to become a leading area for high-quality development and a demonstration area for high-quality living.

Liangjiang has formed two 100-billion-yuan-level ($15.46 billion) pillar industries out of the automobile and electronic information sectors. It has also created several emerging industrial clusters focused on equipment manufacturing and biomedicine, as well as a service industry system supported by finance, logistics, the service trade, commerce, tourism and expos, officials added. Liangjiang's open economy development ranks among the top in Chongqing. By developing opening-up platforms such as Guoyuan Port, Lianglu Cuntan Free Trade Port Area, Chongqing International Expo Center, Jiangbeizui central business district and Cuntan International New Town, Liangjiang is home to half of Chongqing's Fortune Global 500 companies and has contributed to two-thirds of Chongqing's cross-border e-commerce trade.

The area has also seen significant achievements in big data and intellectualization development by constructing Liangjiang Coordinative Zone, Lijia Intelligent Park and Liangjiang Digital Economy Industrial Park. It has attracted 320 R&D platforms above the municipal level, 40 incubators for innovation and startups, 507 high-tech enterprises and 2,219 scientific and technological enterprises, was briefed.

Liangjiang, which takes scientific and technological innovation as its top priority, is currently home to over 40 research institutes, over 600 high-tech enterprises, over 3,000 technology-based firms and more than 6,000 digital economy corporations, to statistics collected by the end of 2021. Furthermore, it was told that Chongqing Bonded Port Area (CBPA) is a "Gateway" of Chongqing's economic development, and features special Customs supervision as a "water port" and an "airport". Compared with other Customs supervision zones in western China, and it boasts functional and policy advantages.

CBPA is located in the hinterland of Liangjiang New Area, a new national development area with significant strategic capacity, covering nearly 250 million residents in more than 20 large and medium cities in the surrounding 6 provinces.
It was told that CBPA is the only city in western China that can take seamless connection and "zero-reloading" of various means of transportation, including railways, highways, waterways and airlines, with Cuntan International Container Terminal, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway and other port workplaces.
CBPA is the only city in western China that can take seamless connection and "zero-reloading" of various means of transportation, including railways, highways, waterways and airlines, with Cuntan International Container Terminal, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway and other port workplaces.
CBPA is an area for special Customs supervision that embraces the highest level of openness, the most favorable policies and the most complete functions. It has also been conferred an authority of "pilot policy" and serves as a trial version for future free trade zones.

CBPA is an area for special Customs supervision that embraces the highest level of openness, the most favorable policies and the most complete functions. It has also been conferred an authority of "pilot policy" and serves as a trial version for future free trade zones.
The CBPA Administrative Committee has established a "one-stop" service center, enabling the departments responsible for Customs, foreign exchange management, industry and commerce, taxation and public security - as well as other departments - to work together in the bonded port area, and to provide high-quality and efficient services for enterprises.

CBPA works with municipal transportation and other authorities to provide supporting service facilities for enterprises, such as public transport, postal services, banks, restaurants, firefighting and accommodation, and it is thus the area with the most sophisticated supporting facilities among all the special Customs supervision areas in western China and around the whole country.
Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP