Ten years after the cessation of administrative relations
between Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, the two west China
giants have decided to resume cooperation, this time
economically.
The two local governments signed a cooperation agreement on
Monday, pledging to build an economic zone, the "Chengdu-Chongqing
Economic Zone," with two mega cities, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan,
and Chongqing, at the forefront of what is aimed to be a new
economic growth pole in China.
Last year, the combined GDP of Sichuan and Chongqing crossed the
1.21 trillion yuan (US$156.6 billion)?mark, making
Chengdu-Chongqing area one of the strongest economic regions in
China, along with the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta,
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, and northeast China regions.
The economic zone was given state backing at the end of last
year when the State Council approved the 11th Five-year
Plan for Western Development, which underlines the importance of
developing the zone.
Monday's agreement was signed by Chongqing Mayor Wang Hongju and
Sichuan Governor Jiang Jufeng.
The agreement outlines areas of cooperation, suggestions for
expediting infrastructure construction in the zone, plans for
regional market integration, guidance for industry division and
cooperation, and city cluster zoning.
In terms of infrastructure, work will be focused on constructing
point-to-point thoroughfares between Chongqing and Chengdu and
loop-line transportation within the zone.
Also on the agenda are facilities for major equipment
manufacturing, the high-tech industry, clean energy, national
defense scientific research and farm produce processing.
The two governments have also pledged to cooperate in the
building of an ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the
Yangtze River. To this end, joint efforts will be made to secure
state funding for eco-friendly construction and to set up an
ecological compensation mechanism.
The Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone will encompass Chongqing,
Chengdu, 14 cities along the major expressways, railways and golden
waterways and the economic circle around Chongqing, which is made
up of 23 counties and districts.
In addition to Chengdu and Chongqing, which will be taking the
lead in the development push, other beneficiaries of the new
economic zone include 27 other cities in the immediate vicinity
such as Mianyang and Fuling. When the economic zone is completed,
it will be the largest city belt in the western region.
Party and government officials attending the signing ceremony
were upbeat about the cooperation.
Party Chief of Chongqing Wang Yang said strengthening
cooperation is the shared historical responsibility of the two
western giants.
"The Chongqing and Sichuan economies are compatible and
complementary. Although we are separated in term of administration,
we are one region in regard to economy," he said.
"Development trends and historical opportunities urge us to
eliminate the 'one grows, the other declines' mentality to aim for
a win-win scenario."
Sichuan provincial party chief Du Qinglin agreed. He said
cooperation is conducive to obtaining state policy support. It also
promotes industry advancements and fuels the development of market
mechanisms.
In 2004, Sichuan and Chongqing signed a "One plus Six" agreement
– "One" being the framework agreement on the development of the
economic zone in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and "Six"
referring to the areas of cooperation namely transportation,
tourism, agriculture, public security, culture and TV
broadcasting.
By the end of last year, mutual investment had reached 56.33
billion yuan (US$7.29 billion). Among western provinces, Sichuan is
the largest investor in Chongqing, and Chongqing ranks second in
the country in terms of investment in Sichuan.
(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang, April 5, 2007)