High-tech manufacturing investment in Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone surges 17.1% in H1, outpacing national growth

On September 23, the statistics bureaus of Sichuan and Chongqing jointly released data showing that in the first half of this year, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle recorded a 3.7% year-on-year increase in the value added of the primary industry, a 3.9% increase in the secondary industry (0.2 percentage points higher than the western region average), and a 5.1% increase in the tertiary industry (0.8 percentage points higher than the western region average), solidifying its position as the "bellwether" of economic development in western China.

Industrial Momentum and Manufacturing Upgrades

The most notable highlight of the region's economic performance in H1 was the sustained boost in industrial momentum and the accelerated, high-quality development of the manufacturing sector. During this period, the value added of both industry and manufacturing grew by 5.6%, achieving a key leap from below the national average to surpassing it. These figures were 0.2 and 0.1 percentage points higher than the national average, respectively, indicating a significant enhancement in industrial resilience and endogenous growth drivers.

Source: Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics

Landmark Industrial Projects Take Shape

A number of landmark industrial projects have been implemented and delivered, providing "hardcore support" for industrial upgrading in both regions. Examples include:

• High-end Equipment Manufacturing: The Chongqing Liangping unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) integrated project achieved final assembly and rollout, filling a gap in the region's high-end intelligent aviation equipment sector.
• New Energy Vehicle Supply Chain: The sodium-ion battery production base project in Neijiang, Sichuan, is accelerating construction, with a new energy storage industry cluster rapidly taking shape.
• Digital Manufacturing: The Guangyu Mingdao AI industrial platform in Chongqing is deeply empowering the Chengdu-Chongqing automotive industry chain, with digital technology continuously driving the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing in both regions.

Investment Growth Driven by Innovation

In terms of investment, industrial investment in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle grew by 7% year-on-year in H1, a rate 8.1 percentage points higher than the national average. Within this:

• Manufacturing investment increased by 9.4%.
• Investment in high-tech manufacturing rose by 17.1%, accelerating by 1 percentage point from Q1 and outpacing the national average by 13.9 percentage points.

This underscores a growing trend of innovation-driven investment. From the perspective of major project construction, the two regions completed a total investment of 286.239 billion yuan in key co-built projects. Investment in modern industry and technology innovation projects exceeded 120 billion yuan, with a number of science and innovation platforms and industrial platforms rapidly taking shape, building momentum for future industrial upgrades.

Consumer Market Recovery

On the consumption front, the consumer market in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle continued to recover in H1. Total retail sales of consumer goods grew by 2.1%, a rate 0.8 percentage points higher than the national average. The value added of the accommodation and catering industry increased by 6.9%. Meanwhile, new types of consumption continued to expand, with online retail sales of goods by enterprises above the designated size growing by 7.8%, reflecting deep online-offline integration and continuous innovation in consumption formats.

Modern Services Sector Upgrades

Another highlight of the region's development in H1 was the accelerated upgrading of the modern services sector and the continuous improvement in industrial service capabilities. During this period:

• The value added of the leasing and business services industry grew by 15.8%, 3.9 percentage points higher than the national average.
• The value added of the information transmission, software, and information technology services industry increased by 8.6%.

High-end service sectors such as digital services, business services, and technology services continued to expand, supporting the high-quality development of advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture, creating a "manufacturing + services" two-way empowerment dynamic.

Foreign Trade Expansion

Leveraging the collaborative advantages of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle's open platforms, foreign trade imports and exports accelerated. In H1, the region's total import and export volume grew by 14.4%, with exports up 10.7% and imports up 21.1%. Notably, advantageous products such as automobiles, motorcycles, machinery, and pharmaceutical equipment continued to expand their overseas markets, accelerating the formation of a collaborative and open foreign trade landscape for Sichuan and Chongqing.

Livelihood Improvements and Shared Development

Livelihood construction continued to improve, with development benefits being shared more broadly. In H1:

• The average surveyed urban unemployment rate in both Chongqing and Sichuan was 5.3%, unchanged from the same period last year.
• The Economic Circle added 913,000 new urban jobs, a year-on-year increase of 6.9%, accelerating by 0.2 percentage points from Q1.

The urban-rural gap continued to narrow. The ratio of per capita disposable income between urban and rural residents in Chongqing and Sichuan fell to 2.32 and 2.07, respectively, down by 0.05 and 0.04 from the same period last year, highlighting the effectiveness of integrated urban-rural development.

Ecological and Environmental Progress

In H1, the two regions deepened cross-regional ecological joint prevention, control, and co-governance. The average PM2.5 concentration in Chongqing's prefecture-level and above cities was 30.6 micrograms per cubic meter, while in Sichuan it was 29.6 micrograms per cubic meter, representing year-on-year decreases of 16.4% and 12.4%, respectively. The ecological advantages of "blue skies, green land, and clear water" were further consolidated, building a solid ecological barrier for green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.