Chengdu has set out its bold industrial ambitions, saying it aims to establish five pillars in the city covering electronic information, motor vehicle manufacturing, food and beverage, equipment manufacturing and biopharmaceuticals.

 

The capital of Sichuan province will improve its competitiveness in artificial intelligence, precise medical treatment and the field of virtual reality as it pushes to establish a presence at the higher levels of the world's supply chain, city officials said at the Industrial Development Conference for National Center City in early July.

 

Chengdu had never before publically set out its industrial structure targets so precisely, city officials said.

 

It will expand the space devoted to developing industry, following detailed plans of exactly where all of this will be located, and Longquan Mountain in the city's east will act as a hub.

 

The city has attracted a number of high-end industrial projects as a result of its solid industrial base, excellent investment environment and firm backing from the government.

 

Echoing the announcement, on July 29 the city government signed an agreement with the Harbin Institute of Technology to initiate a new range of collaboration, including launching strategy consultancies, building an artificial manufacturing academy, founding an industrial cluster and improving human resources exchanges.

 

The commitment also followed a raft of agreements with tertiary institutions including Sichuan University, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Southwest Jiaotong University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, the Chengdu branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University and Tsinghua University.

 

Han Jiecai, deputy head of the Harbin Institute of Technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "Chengdu's rapid development benefits not only from local companies and prestigious universities, but also from its strong and rich human resources."

 

Chengdu was the first western Chinese city to join with the Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, a strong support base for that region as the country's old industrial hub.

 

The latest move will instill new vigor in the city's collaborative efforts with the institute involving motor vehicles, food and medical production, electronic household devices, energy generation and environmental protection.

 

The two sides will build laboratories and engineering technological centers.

 

The regional headquarters of the institute's big-data center as well as centers for research and development, business, settlement and production will be set up in Chengdu.

 

More intelligent medical treatment, transport, education and big-data projects will be located in Chengdu, too.

 

Chen Xu, deputy director of Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau, said the institute in Harbin has set up an industrial center in Chengdu's high-tech zone and formed a team of more than 100 experts.

 

The institute has joined with the city's economic development zone to build a robotics industrial park. The province's first intelligent robotics showroom will be set up in the park, and a robotics-themed park in Chengdu is also in the pipeline.

 

In a higher-level industry, a Sichuan satellite engineering technological academy is being established by the institute in coordination with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, a university in the city and the No. 29 Institute under the China Electronic Technology Corp.

 

In future, satellite launches and related application platforms will be commercialized in Chengdu, with the city's strength in the field expected to take the lead in the country, Chen said.

 

The academy is responsible for the Tianfu satellite, which will be responsible for commercial and military use.

 

Medical sector

 

On June 30 Wuxi AppTec Group's industrial park opened. The company has global operations in pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, with medical device open-access capability and technology.

 

The company has said Chengdu will be the prime location for its growth in western China. It plans to inject a total of 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) in building an international health care industrial park covering 163 acres.

 

Chengdu will host its centers for biological medicine, research and development, and biological sampling, as well as its regional headquarters and hospital specializing in rare diseases.

 

"Chengdu Medical Town has a perfect industrial foundation with huge potential for growth," said Li Ge, chief executive of Wuxi AppTec.

 

"Relying on the company's leading technology and extensive experience, we will build an international standard health care industrial park in Chengdu."

 

Last year the total revenue of Chengdu companies whose individual revenue in pharmaceuticals is in excess of 20 million yuan was 45 billion yuan.

 

Ten tertiary institutions in Chengdu specialize in pharmaceuticals, including Sichuan University and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Thirteen universities in the city offer courses majoring in chemistry, and there are 11 national or ministry-level research laboratories in the field.

 

The city's new policies aim to create a better industrial environment.

 

As a way of promoting economic growth the city will improve coordination between government bodies. It will build 66 new industrial areas and speed up the construction of urban areas.

 

It will accelerate the construction of infrastructure and international logistics and build 30 service centers for Chengdu along the Belt and Road countries.

 

Heavy emphasis will also be laid on environmental protection.

 

In June this year the city announced a batch of new policies aimed at combating air pollution, reducing traffic congestion, improving water treatment and increasing the number and coverage of green areas.