West Triangle Economic Zone

Last updated

West Triangle Economic Zone
西三角经济区
West Triangle Economic Zone.jpg
The locations of the three cities which form the Economic Zone. Chongqing Municipality is shaded red.
Province Chongqing (municipality)
Sichuan
Shaanxi
Major Cities Chongqing
Chengdu
Xi'an
Nanchong
Xianyang
Government
   Mayor of Chongqing Huang Qifan
   Governor of Sichuan Wei Hong
   Governor of Shaanxi Lou Qinjian
Time zone UTC+8 (CST)
Map of Chengdu showing infrastructures and land use, made by the CIA in 1989; about half of the city's current size. Chengdu 1989 CIA.jpg
Map of Chengdu showing infrastructures and land use, made by the CIA in 1989; about half of the city's current size.

Chengdu has been officially designated China's western center of logistics, commerce, finance, science and technology, as well as a hub of transportation and communication. [6] It is also an important base for manufacturing and agriculture. [7] It is a highly economically competitive city within China; according to a Taiwanese report, Chengdu is the second most attractive city for business in China, [1] and the World Bank's 2007 survey report on global investment environments declared Chengdu "a benchmark city for investment environment in inland China". [8] Important locally based companies include Chengdu Sugar and Wine Co. Ltd., Chengdu Food Group, Sichuan Medicine Co. Ltd., Chengdu Automobile Co. Ltd. etc., which support the city's food, medicine, machinery and information technology industries. [9]

Many companies have invested in Chengdu. [10] Among the world's 500 largest companies, 133 of them have subsidiaries or branch offices in Chengdu. [10] These corporations include Intel, Cisco, Sony and Toyota that have assembly and manufacturing bases. Also, Motorola, LM Ericsson, and Microsoft have R&D centers in Chengdu. [10]

Chengdu's foremost industry is information technology, and has long been established as a national base for the electronics and the IT industry. As one of the 8 major communication hubs of China, Chengdu is the node of the nationwide fiber-optic communication network. [11]

Furthermore, Chengdu has also attracted many other major global corporations, including Citigroup, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN AMRO, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan Chase and The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in the banking sector. [9] It is expected that by 2012, value-added financial services will make up 14% of the added-value service industry and 7% of the regional GDP. By 2015, those figures are expected to grow to 18% and 9% respectively. [12]

Chongqing

Commercial skyscrapers and high-rise buildings around the People's Liberation Monument in downtown Chongqing. CQ WTC.jpg
Commercial skyscrapers and high-rise buildings around the People's Liberation Monument in downtown Chongqing.

Chongqing was separated from Sichuan province and made into a province-level municipality in March 1997. [13] in order to accelerate its development. It was also hoped that China's relatively poorer western areas would be further developed as well. [5]

As well as being an important industrial area in western China, [14] Chongqing is also rapidly urbanising. For instance, new construction added approximately 137,000 square meters (1.5 million square feet) daily of usable floor space to satisfy demands for residential, commercial and factory space. [15] More than 1,300 people move into the city daily, bolstering the economy by approximately 100 million Yuan. [16]

With an annual output capacity of 1.2 million automobiles, Chongqing produces 15% of China's total output. [17] Changan Automotive Corp (China's fourth largest automaker), Lifan Hongda Enterprise, and Ford Motor Company all produce automobiles in Chongqing, with the US car giant having 3 plants. [18]

The municipality is also one of the nine largest iron and steel centres in China and one of the three major aluminum producers. Important manufacturers include Chongqing Iron and Steel Company and South West Aluminum, Asia's largest aluminum plant. [19] Manufacturing industries are supported by abundant natural resources including large deposits of coal, natural gas, and more than 40 kinds of minerals such as strontium and manganese. Coal reserves amount to approximately 4.8 billion tonnes, [20] while Chuandong Natural Gas Field is China's largest inland gas field with deposits of around 270 billion m³ - more than 1/5 of China's total. [21]

Chongqing was ranked among the top ten most attractive cities to investing by a Taiwanese report, and is also one of the National Central Cities. [1]

Xi'an

CBD, Tangyan Road, Xi'an. Xi'ancbd2.jpg
CBD, Tangyan Road, Xi'an.

Xi'an is the largest economy of Shaanxi province, with a GDP of 324.1 billion Yuan in 2010. [22] On average this value increases by 14.5% annually, and accounts for approximately 41.8% of Shaanxi's total GDP. [22] [23] At least fifty-eight countries have established over 2,560 enterprises in Xian, including nineteen of the Fortune 500 enterprises. These include ABB, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi and Toshiba. [24] As part of the Western Development policy, Xi’an became a major target for accelerated attention. [4] From 1997 to 2006, the industrial output value of Xi’an's service industry increased at an annual average rate of 13.74% representing a growth from US$8.113 billion to US$25.85 billion. [23]

Xi'an is also one of the first service outsourcing cities in China, with over 800 corporations in the industry. [22] The city's output value from this sector exceeded RMB 23 billion in 2008. [22] Employment in the sector doubled from 1997 to 2006, from a base of 60,000, and computer consulting also doubled from 16,000 to 32,000. [23] As a result of the importance of the software-outsourcing industry, the city planned construction of a Software New Town, which was scheduled to be completed in 2015 with an investment of 30 billion Yuan. [22] Other major export goods include lighting equipment and automobile parts, while its major import goods are mechanical and electrical products. Internationally, Xi'an's largest trade partner is the United States. [22]

Other important industries include equipment manufacturing and tourism. [25] The manufacturing industry has an annual output of 36.5 billion Yuan, accounting for 44.5% of the city's total. [22] Furthermore, as one of China's four ancient capitals, [26] Xi'an's many cultural sites, including the Terracotta Army, the City Wall of Xi'an, and the Famen Temple, make tourism an important industry as well. In 2010, 52 million domestic tourists visited Xi'an, earning a total income of RMB 40.52 billion. [22] On average, revenue increases by 36.4% per year, and foreign-exchange earnings (530 million in 2009) increase by around 35.8%. [22]

Government

Chengdu

The city of Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, and it has sub-provincial administrative status. It contains 9 districts, 4 county-level cities, and 6 counties. [27] The mayor is Ge Honglin, [28] and the CPC Committee Secretary (who is considered to be more powerful than the mayor) is Huang Xingchu. [29]

Chongqing

Chongqing is the principal city in Southwest China being one of China's National Central Cities and the only such city in the interior west of China. As such, in 1997, Chongqing was separated from Sichuan province and made into a province-level municipality, the fourth in China after Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. [13] The mayor of Chongqing is Tang Liangzhi [ citation needed ] and the CPC Committee Secretary is Sun Zhengcai. [30] Chongqing Municipality contains 19 districts, 19 counties, and 1259 towns, townships, and subdistricts.

Xi'an

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, and it has sub-provincial administrative status. Additionally, since ancient times, when it was known as Chang'an, it served as the capital of many dynasties. [31] The mayor of Xi'an is Dong Jun, [32] and the CPC Committee Secretary is Sun Qingyun. [33]

Transportation

Air

Major airports include:

Land

Major highways and expressways passing through the West Triangle Economic Zone include:

Rail

Stations include:

Major rail lines include:

Statistics

The zone occupies 220,000 square kilometers and has a population of 118 million, contributing nearly 40% of Western China's GDP. [2]

West Triangle Economic Zone
Traditional Chinese 西三角經濟圈
Simplified Chinese 西三角经济圈
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Xī sānjiǎo jīngjì quān
CityAdministrative AreaCity PopulationGDPAnnual GDP growth rate
Chengdu12,132 km24,266,000 [34] RMB 813.89 billion [35] 13% [35]
Chongqing82,401 km26,690,000 [34] RMB 1,146 billion [36] 13.6% [36]
Xi'an9983 km24,178,000 [34] RMB 386.4 billion [37] 24% [37]

The figure above for Chongqing's Administrative Area includes the entire Municipality of Chongqing whereas the City Population only counts the urbanized districts making up Chongqing city. Thus the population of the administrative area shown will be significantly larger. Chengdu is similar.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sichuan</span> Province of China

Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau between the Jinsha River on the west, the Daba Mountains in the north and the Yungui Plateau to the south. Sichuan's capital city is Chengdu; its population stands at 83 million. Sichuan neighbors Qinghai to the northwest, Gansu to the north, Shaanxi to the northeast, Chongqing to the east, Guizhou to the southeast, Yunnan to the south, and Tibet to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaanxi</span> Province in China

Shaanxi is an inland province in Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi and Henan to the east, Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south, and Gansu and Ningxia to the west. Shaanxi covers an area of over 205,000 km2 (79,151 sq mi) with about 37 million people, the 16th largest in China. Xi'an – which includes the sites of the former Chinese capitals Fenghao and Chang'an – is the provincial capital as well as the largest city in Northwest China and also one of the oldest cities in China and the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals, being the capital for the Western Zhou, Western Han, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties. Xianyang, which served as the Qin dynasty capital, is just north across Wei River. The other prefecture-level cities into which the province is divided are Ankang, Baoji, Hanzhong, Shangluo, Tongchuan, Weinan, Yan'an and Yulin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chengdu</span> Prefecture-level and sub-provincial city in Sichuan, China

Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth most populous city in China, and it is the only city with a population of over 20 million apart from direct-administered municipalities. It is traditionally the hub of Western China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guiyang</span> Prefecture-level city in Guizhou, China

Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters (3,600 ft). It has an area of 8,034 square kilometers (3,102 sq mi). At the 2020 census, its population was 5,987,018, out of whom 4,506,134 lived in the six urban districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sichuan Basin</span> Basin in Sichuan, China

The Sichuan Basin, formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributaries. The basin is anchored by Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, in the west, and the direct-administered municipality of Chongqing in the east. Due to its relative flatness and fertile soils, it is able to support a population of more than 100 million. In addition to being a dominant geographical feature of the region, the Sichuan Basin also constitutes a cultural sphere that is distinguished by its own unique customs, cuisine and dialects. It is famous for its rice cultivation and is often considered the breadbasket of China. In the 21st century its industrial base is expanding with growth in the high-tech, aerospace, and petroleum industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deyang</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Deyang is a prefecture-level city of Sichuan province, China. Deyang is a largely industrial city, with companies such as China National Erzhong Group and Dongfang Electric having major operations there. The city is rich in history, with the Sanxingdui archeological site in Guanghan uncovering a rich trove of bronze and gold masks. More recently, Deyang was greatly afflicted by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which particularly impacted its county-level cities of Mianzhu and Shifang, in Deyang's northwest. Deyang spans an area of 5,911 km2 (2,282 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzhou</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Luzhou (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: 瀘州; pinyin: Lúzhōu; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu2zou1; Luzhou dialect: ), formerly transliterated as Lu-chou or Luchow, is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. It is also known as the "Liquor City" (酒城). It was named Jiangyang (simplified Chinese: 江阳; traditional Chinese: 江陽; pinyin: Jiāngyáng) until the Northern and Southern dynasties. Situated at the confluence of the Tuo River and the Yangtze River, Luzhou has been Sichuan province's largest port in both size and output since Chongqing's separation from Sichuan in 1997. As of the 2020 Chinese census, its population was 4,254,149. Of these, 1,241,273 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Jiangyang and Longmatan districts, as Naxi district is not conurbated yet. Luzhou borders Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing provinces. As the only geographic junction of the four provinces, it was an important port location in ancient China. After the PRC was founded in 1949, Luzhou became the capital of southern Sichuan province. In 1983, Luzhou was upgraded to prefecture-level city status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanchong</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Nanchong is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan province, China, with an area of 12,479.96 km2 (4,818.54 sq mi). At the 2020 census it was home to 5,607,565 people, of whom 1,936,534 lived in the built-up area made of three urban districts. It is the second most populated city of Sichuan Province, after Chengdu. The administrative center is Shunqing District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Western Development</span> Chinese economic policy

China Western Development (西部大开发) is an economic policy applied in Western China as part of the effort to reduce imbalances in development between China's coastal regions and its interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guangyuan</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Guangyuan is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China, bordering the provinces of Shaanxi to the northeast and Gansu to the northwest. The city has a population of 2,305,657 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziyang</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Ziyang prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province, China. It is bordered by the provincial capital of Chengdu to the northwest, Deyang to the north, Suining to the northeast, Chongqing municipality to the east, and Neijiang to the west. Its development is going to be very important because of the proximity of Chengdu new Airport and economic zone. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Ziyang's total population was 2,308,631 inhabitants whom 867,119 lived in the built-up area made of Yanjiang District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baoji</span> Prefecture-level city in Shaanxi, Peoples Republic of China

Baoji is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dazhou</span> Prefecture-level city in Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

Dazhou is a prefecture-level city in the northeast corner of Sichuan province, China, bordering Shaanxi to the north and Chongqing to the east and south. As of 2020 census, Dazhou was home to 5,385,422 inhabitants whom 1,850,869 lived in the built-up area made of 2 urban districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longnan</span> Prefecture-level city in Gansu, Peoples Republic of China

Longnan is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province in China. It borders Sichuan on its south and Shaanxi on its east. As of the 2020 Chinese census, the population of the prefecture-level city was 2,855,555.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shifang</span> County-level city in Sichuan, China

Shifang is a county-level city in Sichuan, China, under administration of Deyang prefecture-level city. It is located directly about 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Chengdu. It had an area of 863 km2 (333 sq mi) and a population of 430,000 in 2004. Shifang has a history stretching back over two thousand years. It suffered heavy damage during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The city was also the scene of a large-scale environmental protest against a copper smelting plant in July 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baoji–Chengdu railway</span> Railway line in China

The Baoji–Chengdu railway or Baocheng railway, is a mixed single- and double-track, electrified, railroad in China between Baoji in Shaanxi province and Chengdu in Sichuan province. The Baocheng Line is the main railway connection between the northern/northwestern and southwestern China. The line has a total length of 668.2 km and passes through mostly mountainous terrain in southern Shaanxi, eastern Gansu and northern Sichuan. It opened in 1961 as the first rail outlet from Sichuan, and in 1975 became the first railway in China to be electrified. Other cities along route include Mianyang, Guangyuan, Guanghan and Lueyang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway</span> Railway line in western China

Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway or Xi'an-Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line, is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line in Western China between Xi'an and Chengdu, respectively the provincial capitals of Shaanxi and Sichuan. This line, which commenced operations on 6 December 2017, runs 510 km (320 mi) through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces and accommodates trains traveling at speeds up to 250 km/h (160 mph). Travel time between the two provincial capitals was reduced from 16 to less than three hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line</span> Railway line in China

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line or Huhanrong PDL, is a fully completed higher-speed railway corridor in China. It is operated by CR Shanghai Group, CR Wuhan Group and CR Chengdu Group. The Chinese name of the railway line, Huhanrong, is a combination of the abbreviations for Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chengdu, three major cities along the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanzhou–Chongqing railway</span> Railway line in China

Lanzhou–Chongqing railway or Lanyu railway is a higher-speed railway in China connecting Lanzhou and Chongqing. Construction started in 2010, last segment of the railway was opened for service in September 2017. The line allows trains to travel between Chongqing and Lanzhou, Gansu via Nanchong and Guangyuan, Sichuan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Chongqing</span>

The economy of Chongqing, China, has developed rapidly since it was separated from the Sichuan and became a centrally-administered municipality in 1997. In 2019, it was the sixth-largest Chinese city economy and ranked as China's third-largest municipal economy. In China's overall layout, Chongqing is also important for connecting China's underdeveloped western region with its more advanced eastern region, as well as promoting the economy of the mid-lower reaches of Yangtze river and the central western region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Western triangle zone's attractiveness increasing". 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "China's Economic Zones: A Regional Round-up". 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  3. Zhanghuai, Yang (2010-02-09). "全国城镇规划确定五大中心城市". 南方都市报. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fan Jie. “Western Development Policy: Changes, Effects and Evaluation.” Developing China’s West: A Critical Path to Balanced National Development. Ed. Y.M. Yeung and Shen Jianfa. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2004.100.
  5. 1 2 China urges reform, development of Chongqing municipality - Xinhua News Agency - retrieved 2009-01-31.
  6. "Installed Talent in Tier II China Cities - Suzhou & Chengdu" (PDF). TalentNeuron. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  7. "Focus on Chengdu". Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. December 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  8. "Chengdu, a benchmark city for investment environment in inland China", Chengdu Invest Archived 2013-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 "Chengdu - Business Information" . Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  10. 1 2 3 "Chengdu Leading the West (in Chinese)". 2009-10-21.
  11. "Telecommunications and internet". investchengdu.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  12. "Investment News". Archived from the original on 2016-07-10. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  13. 1 2 Chinese vice premier urges Chongqing to become economic engine for western regions - Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Australia - retrieved 2009-01-31.
  14. "Chinese City and Province Information". ChinaToday. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  15. "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything," Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, Penguin, p. 218, 2006.
  16. Hennessy, Brian. "Chongqing economy". China Australia Consult. Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  17. "Chongqing's Auto Industry Grows in 2010". 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  18. "New plant doubles Ford's engine capacity in China". Xinhua.net. 2013-06-19. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  19. MacKie, Nick (2005-05-04). "China's west seeks to impress investors". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  20. "Independent Technology Review" (PDF). 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  21. Wu, Ying. "A Review of Recent Natural Gas Discoveries in China" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Xi'an ( Shaanxi ) City Information". 29 Aug 2011. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  23. 1 2 3 Walcott, Susan (April 17, 2010). "Xi'an's Maturing Economy" . Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  24. "City Report: Xi'an". January 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  25. "Xi'an Economy". The People's Government of Shaanxi. 2008-01-01. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  26. "Xi'an". Lehman, Lee & Xu. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  27. "About Chengdu". Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  28. "Citieschina.org". Archived from the original on 2007-08-27. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  29. "Dr. Fu meets with Chengdu Party Secretary Huang Xinchu". China Merchants Group. 2013-05-23. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  30. Zhang Dejiang Profile
  31. Sun, Nancy. "Four Greatest Ancient Capitals of China". CITS. Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  32. "Mayor of Xi'an Dong Jun and his entourage research". Shaanxi Auto Group. 2013-01-28. Archived from the original on 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  33. "The Standing Committee of CPC Xi'an: "whole city should contribute to Expo"". International Horticultural Exposition 2011 Xi'an China. 2010-06-01. Archived from the original on 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  34. 1 2 3 "The Most Populated Cities in China". Nations Online. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  35. 1 2 "Chengdu's GDP up 13% in 2012". Mar 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  36. 1 2 Jiabao, Li (2013-01-23). "Chongqing's GDP growth No 2 in China". Chinadaily. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  37. 1 2 "Xi'an demographic analysis and economy overview". Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-06-02.