Tianfu New Area in Sichuan: Driving high-quality development through high-level openness and accelerating the creation of an inland hub for an open economy

CHENGDU,China,Sept. 3,2024 -- As one of its key missions as a national-level new area,Tianfu New Area in Sichuan aims to establish an inland hub for an open economy.

Overcoming the inherent geographical limitations of being "neither coastal nor borderland," Tianfu New Area has seized the strategic opportunities presented by the "Belt and Road" initiative and the Western Development strategy. It has transformed from a hinterland of national opening-up to a strategic frontier for "westward opening," ushering in significant opportunities to drive reform,innovation,and development through openness.

Since being designated as a national-level new area a decade ago,Tianfu New Area has focused on building a pilot free trade zone,an import trade innovation promotion demonstration zone,and international cooperation parks to accelerate the construction of an open economic system. In 2023,the directly governed area of Tianfu New Area achieved a total import and export value of 15.62 billion yuan,marking a growth of 33.7%. Notably,imports reached 7.938 billion yuan,reflecting a nearly tenfold increase since 2020.

Recently,joining the media observation group organized by the Party-Masses Work Department of the Party Working Committee of Tianfu New Area,a journalist ventured deep into the front lines of technology transfer institutions,international cooperation parks,and cross-border e-commerce enterprises in Tianfu New Area. The purpose was to gain an in-depth understanding of the area's ten-year development path in enhancing its role as an open gateway and establishing an inland hub for an open economy,driving high-quality development through high-level openness.

Harnessing platforms to aggregate resources and connect internally and externally

Building a seamless international gateway hub

Upon entering the Chengdu Aoyun Supply Chain Management Co.,Ltd.,located in the Bonded Logistics Center (Type B) in the Chengdu area of Tianfu New Area,Sichuan (hereinafter referred to as "Tianfu Bao B"),one witnesses a bustling scene in the warehouse: unloading,stocking,shelving,picking,packing,and shipping. Logistics parcels from around the globe are moving in and out in an orderly manner,ensuring goods reach Chengdu residents with utmost speed.

During the recent "6.18" e-commerce shopping festival,Chengdu Aoyun Supply Chain fully leveraged the policy and geographic advantages of Tianfu Bao B,achieving a double success in orders and profits. "The daily average order volume reached about 10,000,an 80% increase compared to regular days. During the promotion,a total of 2 million items entered the zone,and 300,000 orders were shipped out," stated Wang Yajun,the logistics director of Chengdu Aoyun Supply Chain Management Co.,Ltd.

As one of the first companies to settle in Tianfu Bao B,Chengdu Aoyun Supply Chain Management Co.,Ltd. has,within a few years,achieved a cumulative 5.11 million bonded cross-border e-commerce orders and a total transaction value of 997 million yuan. This success is closely tied to the rapid development of the bonded area,Tianfu Bao B.

In recent years,Tianfu New Area Customs,under Chengdu Customs,has focused on optimizing the regulatory business chain,supporting the development of new foreign trade formats,and promoting high-level openness and high-quality development within its jurisdiction. Tianfu Bao B has maximized its advantage as an urban bonded area,actively exploring and innovating new models of foreign trade. It has facilitated the local establishment of cross-border e-commerce enterprises such as Cainiao Southwest Central Warehouse,Tmall International Warehouse,and TikTok International Warehouse,while promoting new business formats like bonded displays and "bonded warehouse + live streaming." The area has also pioneered "cross-border live streaming e-commerce" within the zone,completing the first import of cross-border e-commerce pet food under Chengdu Customs. From January to May this year,Tianfu Bao B achieved a total import and export volume of 1.866 billion yuan,a 32.8% increase,ranking 10th among 82 bonded logistics centers nationwide.

Balancing "hard infrastructure" with "soft development," Tianfu New Area has consistently focused on integrating the "channel-hub-platform" layout and fostering coordinated development of "logistics-trade-industry." It has advanced the construction of the pilot free trade zone and the import trade promotion and innovation demonstration zone,and established cooperation parks such as Sichuan-Hong Kong and Chengdu-Hong Kong. The import and export volume of Tianfu Bonded Logistics Center (Type B) ranks in the top tier among bonded centers nationwide,while the Chengdu-Chongqing cross-border road transport platform has launched over 11,700 bus services,transporting goods valued at approximately 20.7 billion yuan. The capabilities of Tianfu New Area as a national-level new area to serve as a hub for both internal and external connectivity,strategic resource allocation,and international integration continue to strengthen.

"Next,we will fully leverage the locational advantages of Tianfu Bao B,continuously expand new business formats and models,and enhance support for cross-border e-commerce policies,helping the new area cultivate and grow cross-border e-commerce platforms and enterprises," said a Tianfu New Area Customs official.

Achievements "Going Global," Cooperation "Blooming"

Enhancing Domestic and International Market Synergies through Technological Openness and Collaboration

On the eastern shore of Xinglong Lake,within the exhibition hall of the Tianfu International Technology Transfer Center,a world map illustrates the technology transfer pathways extending to regions across the globe. The Center connects major research institutions in Tianfu New Area on one end and international markets and global industries on the other,accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from "laboratories" around Xinglong Lake to international "production lines."

In April this year,the Tianfu International Technology Transfer Center(ITTC) led five companies on a seven-day exploration trip to Turkey to foster cooperation among new energy enterprises. In May,ITTC took four tech companies to Bangkok,Thailand,for one-on-one business matchmaking and exchanges with local enterprises. Since its inception,the Center has proactively integrated into the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative's Science and Innovation Cooperation Zone,actively leading enterprises to "go global" while introducing international technologies. It has established regular communication mechanisms with 43 countries and regions worldwide,connected with over 200 overseas enterprises,and signed 22 international technology cooperation agreements.

The Tianfu International Technology Transfer Center is just one example of Tianfu New Area's accelerated efforts to promote international cooperation in scientific and technological innovation. In Tianfu New Area,the "China-Croatia Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Belt and Road Joint Laboratory," built by the Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Zagreb in Croatia,was approved as one of China's first Belt and Road Joint Laboratories. The "China-New Zealand Kiwi Fruit Belt and Road Joint Laboratory," created by the Sichuan Provincial Academy of Natural Resource Sciences in partnership with New Zealand's Royal Plant & Food Research Institute,has now become the world's largest germplasm repository for red-fleshed kiwi fruit. In recent years,Tianfu New Area has leveraged high-level openness to foster high-quality urban development,promoting the two-way transformation of technological achievements and enhancing scientific and technological innovation capabilities through open cooperation. As a result,enterprises are increasingly "sailing abroad" with their technological achievements,and international scientific and technological cooperation is "blossoming" in multiple areas.

China has put forward a call to strengthen open cooperation in scientific and technological innovation,jointly build a Belt and Road Science and Innovation Cooperation Zone,accelerate the establishment of Belt and Road Joint Laboratories,and explore the creation of a regular cooperative mechanism for technology transfer. This effort will be supported by the Tianfu International Technology Transfer Center,the National Technology Transfer Southwest Center,and other institutions.

Going forward,Tianfu New Area will focus on strengthening the core support for scientific and technological innovation,accelerating the enhancement of the region's openness in science and technology,and effectively increasing the synergy between domestic and international markets and resources. It will guide the China-New Zealand Kiwi Fruit Belt and Road Joint Laboratory and others in conducting international collaborative research,actively seek to establish a research and innovation comprehensive bonded zone within the science city,and utilize the supercomputing center to advance the construction of a national open innovation platform for the new generation of AI computing power. Moreover,it will efficiently operate the Tianfu Intelligent Computing Center and actively integrate into the "Digital Silk Road" initiative.

Deep Engagement in Global Industrial Cooperation

Enhancing Industrial Openness to Establish an Inland Hub for an Open Economy

In the scorching heat of midsummer June,the TDK Lithium Global R&D Center and New Energy Industry Investment Headquarters,located in the heart of Chengdu Science City,are intensely focused on information analysis and technological research related to the global lithium industry. Meanwhile,8,000 kilometers away,the Greenbushes Lithium Mine of Talison Lithium in Australia,the largest hard rock lithium mine in the world,is providing crucial lithium resources to TDK Lithium.

In 2014,TIANQI Lithium acquired a partial stake in Australia's Talison Lithium. By 2016,TIANQI Lithium had invested in a lithium hydroxide project in Kwinana,Australia,with an annual capacity of 48,000 tons. In 2018,the company acquired a partial stake in Chile's SQM,becoming its second-largest shareholder. TIANQI Lithium's continuous global expansion and strategic positioning in high-quality resources have made it one of the few global enterprises centered on lithium as a new energy material. This evolution is a vivid example of Tianfu New Area's deep engagement in global industrial cooperation and its comprehensive enhancement of openness in building industrial clusters and strengthening industry chains.

Positioning Tianfu New Area within the global urban development landscape,the area—first proposed as a "Park City"—is rapidly transforming from an "inland hinterland" to an "open highland." In recent years,Tianfu New Area has consistently aimed for high-level integration into and service for the new development paradigm,advancing platform capability enhancement,industrial promotion,and regional coordination. It has continually fostered deeper industrial cooperation in country-specific parks such as the China-Italy,Sichuan-Hong Kong,and Chengdu-Hong Kong cooperation zones. It has established overseas investment centers in locations such as Hong Kong and Singapore,signed agreements to attract more than 30 projects,including the China headquarters of Singapor's Yaradaron,the urban development project of China Merchants Shekou,and the Reignwood Tianfu International Health Industrial Park. The area has also successfully attracted leading international supply chain enterprises like the Tianfu International Smart Trade Cloud Port and Xiamen C&D Western Pulp and Paper International Trade Center. High-value-added services,including information technology and intellectual property imports from companies like Nokia and Seaknit,are steadily increasing.

"Moving forward,Tianfu New Area will further deepen its participation in global industrial cooperation,leveraging the 600-billion-yuan equity investment funds at Tianfu International Fund Town to accelerate the development of key industries such as aerospace,artificial intelligence,and the low-altitude economy with a global outlook," said a representative from the International Cooperation Bureau of Sichuan Tianfu New Area. The area plans to integrate the advantages of the Import Trade Promotion and Innovation Demonstration Zone further,strengthen capacity alignment in country-specific cooperation parks,and regularly establish a "government + chamber of commerce + enterprise" cooperation mechanism. It aims to guide enterprises to "go global" at a high level and "bring in" high-quality resources,focusing on improving an open economic system and continuously enhancing its capabilities as a strategic hub for resource allocation in both directions.

Leveraging platform advantages to empower an open economy,fostering global partnerships through technology transfer,and expanding international engagement through industrial cooperation,Tianfu New Area is navigating new frontiers from its inland base,bridging geographical distances with the world,and positioning itself as a truly global Tianfu New Area.