Investment News

SINA to settle wireless application RD center in Chengdu

January 22, 2012

China’s leading online media mobile value-added services provider SINA Corporation has reached an agreement with the management of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone to set up its wireless application RD center and start a wholly foreign-owned enterprise at the zone, said the zone management on Monday. According to the agreement, the two facilities will be in charge of the R&D of the products and applications for SINA’s mobile microblogging platform and mobile services.

Woori Bank sets up Chengdu branch

January 22, 2012

Woori Bank started its business in Chengdu on Monday. It is the 13th foreign bank settling in Chengdu, which has the largest number of foreign banks among cities in central and western China. Woori Bank is a part of the Woori Financial Group, the largest bank in South Korea. The company offers a range of products and services, which includes deposits, loans, cards, funds, insurances, foreign exchange, and trading finance to its customers.

Intel settles logistics hub in Chengdu

January 15, 2012

Intel Corporation announced on Jan.9 that it was to set up the Western China Logistics Hub in Chengdu, when the 1 billionth chip of Intel’s chip packaging and testing facility in Chengdu was completed on the same day, marking the Chengdu plant’s output has reached a milestone. Intel General Manager Robin Martin said at an interview with top officials of Chengdu on the same day that the Chengdu plant showed “an unprecedented development speed” among all Intel’s packing and testing factories in the world. He hoped the establishment of the Western China Logistics Hub in Chengdu will further promote the development of the Chengdu plant. The Western China Logistics Hub in Chengdu is one of Intel’s three logistics hubs in China. The other two hubs are in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Fortune Global 500 companies in Chengdu confident in future development

January 15, 2012

Representatives from Fortune Global 500 companies in Chengdu held a meeting on Monday in the city to celebrate the coming Lunar Chinese New Year and exchange ideas with local governments. Chengdu stands out among the cities in central and western China with the largest amount of investment from Fortune Global 500 companies, and so far 207 Fortune Global 500 companies have settled in the city. Chengdu’s improving infrastructure, complete industrial structure and government efficiency were cited as factors to attract more global companies to settle in the city.

Hunan enterprises to start industrial park in eastern Chengdu

January 15, 2012

Hunan Xiangshang Industrial Park, a concentration of investment programs by enterprises of Hunan province, will soon be launched in Longquanyi District in eastern Chengdu. The project with an area of 15 hectares will involve an investment of RMB3 billion, according to officials of the Hunan Chamber of Commerce in Sichuan, who said the enterprises in Hunan showed great interest in getting involved for the future development of the Tianfu New Area.

Harman to start RD center in Chengdu

January 15, 2012

Harman International Industries Incorporated (Harman) signed an agreement on Thursday to establish a new research and development center in Chengdu. “The decision is based on our confidence of the prospect of the Tianfu New Area and the development of Chengdu’s Automobile industry,” said Harman’s President Country Manager for China and North Asia. The research and development center in Chengdu is designed to be Harman’s fifth global research and development center. Harman International Industries, Incorporated is an American-based international audio and infotainment equipment company. Harman’s automotive division sells branded audio systems through several car makers, including Mercedes- Benz, Toyota/Lexus, BMW, and General Motors.

Sichuan industrial strength sees rapid growth

January 8, 2012

Sichuan Provincial Economic and Information Commission said on Jan.1 that the latest statistics show the added value of industry in the sector of large-scale industrial enterprises in Sichuan made an average 20% growth last year, while the large enterprises strengthened competitiveness on the market. It is expected that over 40 enterprises in the province will each realize a sales income exceeding RMB10 billion for the previous year, and Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone will realize a GDP of over RMB100 billion for the year.

First Financial Holding Chengdu company starts operation

January 8, 2012

Taiwan-based First Financial Holding Co., Ltd set up its second company in the Chinese mainland this week as its subsidiary, Chengdu Jinkong Financial Leasing Company, celebrated its opening in Chengdu on Thursday. The company is the first financial business institution from Taiwan province in western China. First Financial Holding’s another subsidiary in the Chinese mainland, FCB Leasing (Suzhou), was put into operation in March 2011. President of First Financial Holding Tsai Ching-Nain said he was optimistic about the business development in Chengdu, which is one of the cities with the largest investments from Taiwan.

Large projects to propel development of Tianfu New Area

January 4, 2012

Top officials of Sichuan provincial government announced the collective launch of a number of large-scale projects on Dec. 25 at a ceremony in Shuangliu County in southern Chengdu, starting a new wave of industrialization in the province, with the Tianfu New Area as the focus. Of the 150 projects launched, most of which are now under construction, Chengdu had 84 projects worth RMB214 billion. Most of them have settled in the Tianfu New Area.

Chengdu named a leading city of software industry in China

January 4, 2012

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has officially conferred the title of “Leading City of Software Industry in China” to Chengdu, said departments of Chengdu municipal government on Tuesday. Chengdu is the third city in the Chinese mainland to win the title, after Nanjing and Jinan. The sector of software and IT service is one of the backbone industries for strategic development in Chengdu and the city has risen to be the most important software production base in central and western China. The sector of software and IT service made a revenue of main business of over RMB100 billion for the earlier 10 months of the year, a 51% growth over the same period last year.

Chengdu’s foreign trade shows strong momentum

January 4, 2012

A new report by the statistics department of Chengdu municipal government on Wednesday indicates that the city’s economy had a robust growth for the previous 11 Months of the year, and that its import and export surged for the same period. The report shows that foreign investment in actual use had growths of over 60% for the period, while the volume of foreign trade exceeded US$34.1 billion, a 52.2% increase over the same period last year, with the volume of export well over US$20 billion, almost a 62% increase over the same period last year.

Underground traffic construction in full swing

January 4, 2012

Local government announced on Wednesday the start of three main projects to build up the city’s underground traffic network that is expected to provide more efficient and more convenient transportation in the future. The three projects launched on the same day are Chengdu Metro Line 4, the Eastern Extension of Chengdu Metro Line 2 and the Southern Extension of Chengdu Metro Line 1. As planned, Chengdu Metro Line 4 will have a total length of 41.7 kilometers, running east-west across the city from the Longquanyi District in the east to Wenjiang District in the west. The first phase project is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2015. The Eastern Extension of Chengdu Metro Line 2 runs about 11 kilometers long and is considered to be a speed traffic link between the downtown areas of Chengdu and the Longquanyi District, which is now an important part of the Tianfu New Area, the city’s new economic growth pole. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

Lenovo, Compal projects start operation

December 25, 2011

Lenovo and Compal held ceremonies on Monday in Chengdu for the trial production of their Chengdu factories. The operation of two factories marked a significant step of Chengdu in its pursuit of making itself one of the most important computer makers in the world, as the two factories will greatly boost Chengdu’s productivity in IT products. The Compal factory, for example, is expected to achieve a production capacity of 40 million laptops by the year of 2015.

Chengdu on list of top 10 destinations in Asia-Pacific for FDI

December 25, 2011

The fDi Magazine, an English-language bi-monthly news and foreign direct investment publication owned by The Financial Times Ltd, included Chengdu, Hong Kong and Guangzhou in its new rankings for the Top 10 Asia-Pacific cities for Best FDI Strategy, said departments of Chengdu municipal government on Monday. Foreign Direct Investment, or FDI, is a measure of foreign ownership of domestic productive assets such as factories, land and organizations. It has become the major economic driver of globalization. Singapore tops the rankings, followed by Melbourne, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Sidney, Pusan, Auckland, Perth, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Chengdu is the sole representative of the cities in the Chinese inland in the rankings.

CCB Chengdu headquarters launched

December 25, 2011

China Construction Bank (CCB) held the foundation- laying ceremony for its Chengdu headquarters on Thursday. The construction of the project will involve RMB3 billion and it will be put into operation by the end of 2015. As CCB’s only operational center in western China, the Chengdu headquarters will be a multi-functional operational base of financial products for administration, business R&D and back-up services.

Philips settles LED factory in Chengdu

December 18, 2011

Philips (China) Investment Co., Ltd and Chengdu municipal government signed an agreement on Thursday in Chengdu on strategic cooperation. The agreement for the settlement of Philips LED project in Chengdu was also reached on the same day and Philips announced its second headquarters in China will be launched in the city. According to the strategic cooperation agreement, Philips will start an industrial park in Chengdu, which will promote the energy-saving and sustainable development projects in the city and its neighboring areas. Philips LED factory in Chengdu is a 25-ml Euro project, which will be initiated early next year and be put into operation in 2013.

Dell to strengthen recruitment for Chengdu company

December 18, 2011

Dell China Chairman Amit Midha said on Wednesday in Chengdu that Dell’s Chengdu company will expand its size by adding some 700 more to its present employees of 300 in the near future. Mr. Midha attended the opening ceremony for Dell’s new office in Chengdu and gave a lecture at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

Key projects to promote Tianfu New Area development

December 18, 2011

A number of projects worth RMB150 billion will soon be launched in Chengdu Economy and Technology Development Zone in eastern Chengdu’s Longquanyi District. The district is one of the core areas of the Chengdu Tianfu New Area, a newly established national-level economic development zone in China, where the International Car City is emerging as one of the leading automobile production bases in the country. Chengdu municipal government has an ambitious plan to make the Car City one of the two major economic growth poles for the Chengdu Tianfu New Area. The planned economic development zone in Longquanyi District has an area of some 30 square kilometers and some of global car manufacturers, including Volvo Cars, have settled their factories in the zone. Most projects in the zone have been under construction. Volvo’s project will involve an investment of RMB10.6 billion.

Tyco opens new Chengdu center

December 18, 2011

Tyco Flow Control, a major business segment of Tyco International, opened a new plant in Chengdu on Thursday. It is Tyco’s production base of the largest-sized ball valves in the world.

Etihad opens Chengdu- Abu Dhabi direct flight

December 18, 2011

Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, announced the official launch of the direct flight from Chengdu to Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Etihad Airways have up to now started direct flights to Abu Dhabi in two cities in China. The other city is Beijing.

FedEX launches Chengdu-US freight flight

December 11, 2011

The US logistics services company FedEx Corporation started the first freight flight from Chengdu to the US early this week, officials from Sichuan Airport Group said on Tuesday. FedEX is the third US company, after UPS and Evergreen Int’l Airlines, that has established cooperation relationships with Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. The route of the new freight flight starts from Delhi, via Chengdu and Guangzhou, and arrives in Anchorage, a unified home rule municipality in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Alaska.

IT leaders in Chengdu for talks on development

December4, 2011

The Two Summits – the annual meeting for China IT CEO and the annual meeting for China IT CIO, the most influential event in China’s IT industry, opened in Chengdu on Thursday. It is the first time that the Summit has been held in a city other than Beijing since the inauguration of the events in 2000. The themes of the events of this year focus on the upgrading and transformation of China’s IT industry.

Hanwha Group settles headquarters in Chengdu

December4, 2011

South Korea’s Hanwha Group declared its ambitious plan to enhance presence in western China on Wednesday as it signed an agreement of strategic cooperation with Chengdu Investment Holding Group on the same day. Hanwha will set up its headquarters in Chengdu, according to the agreement. “I hope that it would not be too late to start our cooperation with Chengdu and I have full confidence for the future development of our business,” said chief executive of Hanwha Group China Keum Choon-soo at the signing ceremony.

Longquanyi gears up development of auto industry

December4, 2011

The government of Longquanyi District in eastern Chengdu publicized its plan late last month that the district will be made one of the leading automobile production bases in China. The district is included in the Tianfu New Area, which is aimed to be made an international modern new urban district suitable for manufacturing, business and living with its focuses on the modern manufacture and high-end service industries. Longquanyi District has become a new hot spot in China for the automobile industry in recent years, with globally leading manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Toyota and Volvo settling in its area.

Foxconn: Chengdu factory to be world No.1 iPad maker

November 27, 2011

Foxconn President Terry Gou said early this week in Chengdu that Foxconn’s factory in Chengdu will be made the largest production base in the world. “I can say with confidence that Chengdu will have the largest iPad production base globally, with two thirds of the iPads in the world coming from the city,” Terry Gou is quoted as saying at an interview. He said that Foxconn will increase investments for the factory next year and the smartphone production, a cooperative project with Changhong Electric, will be formally launched next year.

Shuangliu to start IOT industrial park

November 27, 2011

A national-level Internet of Things (IOT) industrial park will be launched in Shuangliu County in southern Chengdu, said local government on Wednesday at 2011 China Internet of Things Forum, which is held in the county this week. The IOT industrial park will occupy an area of some 3.5 square kilometers and the construction has been underway, said officials from the government of Shuangliu County. One of the establishments in the park will be an R&D center, a cooperative project with University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. At the forum, Chengdu signed contracts on some 20 IOT projects with a total investment of RMB7.1 billion.

Continental AG optimistic about Chengdu’s auto industry

November 27, 2011

Continental China, a subsidiary of Continental AG with its headquarters in Shanghai, held the annual management meeting this week in Chengdu. Continental China Jay Kunkel said he had confidence of Chengdu’s auto industry development and it is very likely that Continental AG will soon start its operation in Chengdu. Continental AG is a worldwide leading German manufacturer of tires, brake systems, vehicle stability control systems, engine injection systems, tachygraphy and other parts for the automotive and transport industries. The company is based in Hanover, Germany.

Automotive aftermarket industry expo held in Chengdu

November 27, 2011

The 3rd West China Automotive Aftermarket Industry Expo is held in Longquanyi District in eastern Chengdu. The event is the most influential platform in western China for purchase, idea exchange in the fields and exhibition of automobile spare parts. Longquanyi District is an emerging production base of automobile industry in China.

Chengdu hosts digital entertainment week

November 20, 2011

The seven-day Fourth Chengdu International Digital Entertainment Week opened in Chengdu on Monday. The Digital Entertainment Week is sponsored by Chengdu municipal government and top IT enterprises such as Intel, Lenovo, LG, Compal, Winstron and over 100 IT companies from all over the world took part in the event with electronic information forums and consuming carnivals. LG CNS China, a subsidiary of LG, announced that it had decided to settle its operation center, the first in West China, in Wuhou district of Chengdu.

Chengdu named national E-commerce pilot city

November 20, 2011

The National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Commerce and six other departments of the central government on Wednesday named Chengdu as one of the first batch of national E-commerce cities. Chengdu municipal government announced its plan at a press conference on the same day to make the city a leading E-commerce base in China. Mobile E-commerce and E-government are included in the plan as future focuses, which are believed to provide better efficiency and more convenience for the public

Chengdu factory key role in global strategy: Lenovo

November 13, 2011

Lenovo’s senior vice president of global supply chain Gerry Smith said on Wednesday Lenovo’s factory in the city will be the company’s key production base in its global strategy. Lenovo is a multinational computer company that develops, manufactures and markets desktop and notebook computers, workstations, servers, storage drives, IT management software, and other related products and services. Mr. Smith stressed that the development of the production base is not aimed at the Chinese market but overseas. Lenovo’s factory in Chengdu will be put into operation next month.

Chengdu hosts SME E-commerce Conference

November 13, 2011

The 2011 China SME E-commerce Conference was held Nov. 8-9 in Chengdu. Over 800 people from the E-commerce companies, online sales providers and venture capital institutions from all over the country took part in the event. It is the second time Chengdu hosted the event. The E-commerce of Chengdu has seen a strong development in recent years and in 2010, the turnover of E-commerce in the city exceeded RMB100 billion.

Sofmit named best outsourcing company

November 13, 2011

Local outsourcing company Sofmit won the title of “China’s Best Outsourcing Company 2011” for its innovative operational modes last week. The title represents the top award for China’s outsourcing companies, decided on the basis of the analysis report by China Outsourcing Network and chnsourcing. com, which publish the annual rankings of the outsourcing companies in the country. Located in Chengdu Hitech Zone, Sofmit is one of the leading professional IT services outsourcing companies in China.

360buy to settle RD center in Chengdu

November 13, 2011

China’s leading online sales company 360buy.com said on Wednesday that it had decided to set up an R&D base in southern Chengdu. The company will take part in the 4th Chengdu International Digital Entertainment Week, which will open in the city on Nov. 14.

Sichuan, Rose Rock sign strategic co-op agreement

November 6, 2011

The government of Sichuan province and the Rose Rock Partners reached an agreement on strategic cooperation on Thursday in Chengdu. Top government officials from Sichuan and president of Rose Rock Partners Steven Clark Rockefeller, Jr. signed the agreement. Rose Rock Partners is a Rockefeller family founded enterprise with a focus on real estate and infrastructure development, fund management, and advisory services in China. The agreement covers a wide range of cooperation in the industries of finance, aviation, new energy, hi-tech, tourism and education.

Rail cargo freight to link Chengdu and Europe

November 6, 2011

Officials from Chengdu municipal government and CEO of DB Schenker (China) held a meeting on Thursday to confirm that the Chengdu-Germany international rail cargo freight was to be launched by the March of 2012. DB Schenker, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, combines the units DB Schenker Rail and DB Schenker Logistics, comprising rail, land transport, air and ocean freight and contract logistics/SCM. The operation of the freight will drastically reduce the expenditure and the time of transportation, bringing it down to about 16 days. The preliminary work for the launch of the freight has been completed.

Large project launched at Tianfu New Area

November 6, 2011

The governments of Chengdu and Meishan reached an agreement last week to start a huge petro-chemical project at the Chengdu Tianfu New Area, a modern industrial development zone that covers part Chengdu and the neighboring areas. The project, with an area of some 10 square kilometers, is to be made a production base of natural gas products and petro-chemical products.

Planning of pan-Chengdu modern industrial zone approved

October 30, 2011

Chengdu municipal government said on Thursday that the planning of the Chengdu Tianfu New Area, a large area consisting of part of Chengdu and the neighboring areas for the development of modern manufacturing and service industries, had been approved by Sichuan provincial government. According to the planning, the Tianfu New Area will be made into an international and modern urban district suitable for manufacturing, business and living with its focuses on the modern manufacture and high-end service industries. The area covers 37 towns and the neighboring seven counties (cities/districts) of three cities, with the total area of 1,578 square kilometers. The Tianfu New Area consists of the EDZs and TDZs in Chengdu, Shuangliu, Pengshan, Renshou and the neighboring areas of the Longquan Lake, the Longquan Mountains and the Sancha Lake. The goal of the ambitious planning of the Tianfu New Area, a state-level economic development zone, is to promote the integration of the pan-Chengdu areas in order to create an international and modern new urban district.

City’s GDP gets a 15% growth

October 30, 2011

Chengdu municipal government said at a press conference on Thursday that Chengdu realized a GDP of RMB 500 billion in the first three quarters, a remarkable 15.1% increase over last year. IT & electronic, machinery, auto-making, food, beverage, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, petro-chemicals and construction materials are cited as the fastest growing sectors, while the large-scale enterprises in the city signaled a 22.4% growth during the period. Foreign trade also saw a surge for the period and statistics show that the city realized a total amount of USD26.68 billion in import and export, an increase of 48.4% year-on-year.

WCIF sees growing international involvement

October 23, 2011

The 12th Western China International Fair (WCIF) opened Thursday in Chengdu with contracts worth hundreds of billions of yuan inked on the initial day. A record 4, 564 businesses from 52 countries and regions attended the event, including Siemens AG, Dell, and Bosch, said organizers. Organizers said the event is represented by eight more countries and regions compared with the previous event of last year. Five hundred projects, involving 394.6 billion yuan ($61.8 billion) of investment, between China’s western regions and enterprises from home and abroad were signed on the first day of the fair. Chengdu signed 109 investment projects, with the total amount of RMB85 billion, of the 500 projects. The projects focus on sectors such as service, high-tech industry, equipment manufacturing, and infrastructure. The WCIF, hosted jointly by governing bodies of China’s western areas, is a comprehensive state-level fair that contributes to trade and investment. It’s also a platform to boost cooperation between Western and Eastern China, as well as between China and foreign countries. The exhibition area is 180,000 square meters in size, and includes six main halls and distributing halls. Having being held in Chengdu for 11 straight years, the fair is attended by nearly 70,000 officials and business people this year.

Siemens to build Chengdu plant, R&D base

October 23, 2011

Siemens AG announced on Monday it will set up an industrial automation manufacturing and research and development (R&D) base in Chengdu, a move to further exploit China’s western market and enhance R&D capability in the nation. The base will be Siemens’ largest digital factory in China and the third R&D center for its industrial automation business, following ones in Germany and the United States. It is scheduled to begin operations by the first half of 2012. The digital factory is to cover the whole production chain –design, manufacturing, logistics, marketing and sales –digitally and integrate the use of IT systems throughout, which is expected to shorten the time it takes products to reach the market by 50 percent, Siemens said. The factory will produce high-end PLC (programmable logic controller) serial products, besides meeting local demand, the company said. The R&D center will be a part of Siemens’ global industrial automation network and will focus first on the Chinese market and ultimately contribute to the international business.

Chengdu tops China in attracting service outsourcing investment

October 23, 2011

Chengdu ranked first among Chinese cities in attracting investment on service outsourcing, according to a recent report, said Chengdu municipal bureau of commerce earlier this month. Chengdu tops the rankings with 88.36 points in the report called the Evaluation Report on Investment Attracting Capacities of Chinese Service Outsourcing Cities in 2011. The report is the only professional assessment of the Chinese service outsourcing industry on investment attractiveness of Chinese cities engaging in service outsourcing. According to Qi Haitao, CEO of China Outsourcing Network, which initiated the evaluation activity, the report has put forward the IEEG evaluation system for Chinese service outsourcing cities. The system evaluates service outsourcing cities in diversified angles and all-round approach to comprehensively reflect the overall strength and investment attractiveness of the cities. Qi says that “in this evaluation, Chengdu has the highest average score, because it has low comprehensive costs, sound overall industrial environment, and a good whole industry motivation system.” In recent years, Chengdu has given priority to developing service outsourcing as a key emerging business. The service outsourcing industry has developed fast. In 2010, the city’s service outsourcing output values exceeded RMB30 billion, with 100, 000 employees in the sector

Chengdu-Kaohsiung direct flight to be opened

October 23, 2011
The Far Eastern Air Transport of Taiwan province announced that it was to launch scheduled direct flight from Chengdu to Kaihsiung early next month. The flights will be on every Sunday and Monday, according to Far Eastern Air Transport’s plans, which are to be approved by concerned administrations, and a fleet of MD-82 planes will be employed for the flights.

Chengdu to have a new airport

September 25, 2011

The News Office of Chengdu municipal government on Wednesday declared online in a microblog that the proposal to build a new airport in Chengdu had been approved by the central government, making a stir among local people. The microblog said that the proposal had been included in the plan by the Ministry of Transport that outlines the transportation development in China for the 12th Five-year Plan period (2011-2015). Chengdu has an ambitious plan for the period to make itself one of the key international air-traffic hubs in China. According to the proposal by Chengdu municipal government, the construction of the new airport will be carried out during the 12th Five-year Plan period and it will be put into operation in the next Five-year Plan period. The new airport will have an annual capacity of 80 million passengers and freight of 6 million metric tons. The municipal government said that the site of the new airport, a hot topic of discussions online, had not yet been decided.

Chengdu-Chongqing region emerges as a global laptop production base

September 25, 2011

Statistics released by Chengdu Customs on Monday said that the export of laptops manufactured in Sichuan province and Chongqing Municipality reached 14.63 million in the early eight months of the year, accounting for 50.6% of the increased export of 28.94 million from China for the same period. China’s total laptop export reached 140 million for the early months of this year, a 26.5% increase year-on-year. Chengdu Customs said that new settlements of global IT companies in the city, as well as the launch of operation of the Chengdu Free Trade Zone this May, had helped promote the IT industry of the region in the era of global shift of the industry.

Sichuan, Singapore sign big deal on industrial park

September 18, 2011

Singapore and Sichuan province on Thursday agreed to tie up to explore the development of a large hitech innovation park in Chengdu. The Singapore-Sichuan Hi-tech Innovation Park, with an area of 35 sq km, is expected to integrate modern manufacturing, modern services and modern living into one and become a key regional business hub in West China. Other key areas of collaboration are in transport & logistics, education, food & beverage and retail, urban infrastructure, info-comm technology, and banking & finance.

Chengdu starts 5-scheduled freight trains to Alashankou

September 18, 2011

The administration of Chengdu railway transportation launched the five-scheduled freight trains on Thursday to the Alashankou Port in Xinjiang Autonomous Region in northwestern China. The Alashankou Port is a bridgehead station linking the inland areas of China to central and western Asia, said officials from Chengdu Customs. The five-scheduled freight transportation means scheduled station, scheduled train number, scheduled route, scheduled time and scheduled price. The practice will drastically cut down on the price of transportation.

Financial industry development in Chengdu shows strong momentum

September 18, 2011

A report released this week by China Development Institute (CDI), an independent research and consulting institution in Shenzhen, shows that Chengdu has made a significant progress in promoting the over-all strength of its financial industry in recent years. The report of this year, called the third issuse of China Financial Centres Index, provides an objective evaluation of the development of the financial centers in China’s major cities and shows that Chengdu holds the 9th place on the rankings and tops the cities in central and western China. The evaluation of the report is based on a series of new developments in the financial industry performance, the strength of financial institutions, financial market and financial ecological environment. The report by CDI published last year put Chengdu at the 19th place on the rankings.

CMB settles financial back-office in Chengdu

September 11, 2011

China Merchants Bank (CMB) is hastening business expansion in western China as it celebrated on Monday the foundation-laying ceremony for its back-up services center in southern Chengdu. The center, an RMB4 billion-plus multi-functional facility with the business scope covering credit cards, mobile transactions, data processing, back-up services and annuity management services, is expected to be completed in 2014. It will be the fundamental institution for CMB’s operational buildup and retail banking business in China.

Jones Lang LaSalle to increase investment in Chengdu

September 11, 2011

President and CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Colin Dyer said on Wednesday at a meeting with officials of Chengdu municipal government that the company had planned to increase its investment on projects in Chengdu with an aim to make the city as a regional base for the business expansion in central and western China. Jones Lang LaSalle is a financial and professional services company specializing in real estate. The company is considered the second largest publicly traded commercial real estate brokerage firm in the world. Mr. Colin Dyer said he was optimistic of the prospect of the development of Jones Lang LaSalle in Chengdu because of the city’s dynamic growth in the past years and the great potential for development in the future.

Chengdu launches jet nose manufacturing base

September 4, 2011

A production base of jet noses for jumbo passenger planes, a project of RMB2 billion, was launched in Chengdu on Aug. 28. The production base, with an area of about 30 hectares in western Chengdu, is designed to be the leading provider of jet noses for domestically made jumbo passenger planes, such as ARJ21 and C919.

Fangda Group settles new-material production base in Chengdu

September 4, 2011

Liaoning Fangda Group Industrial Co., Ltd. (Fangda Group) signed an agreement with local governments on Monday to locate its western China production base in Chengdu. Fangda Group is a hi-tech industrial enterprise and leads in the field in environmental protection, energy saving and emission reduction in the country. Its new project in Chengdu will involve an investment of RMB1 billion.

Sichuan to promote cloud computing-based service

September 4, 2011

China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom) declared on Wednesday in Chengdu that it would increase investments to make Sichuan the largest cloud computing center in western China and the strategic development base for its cloud computing-base services. The plan proposed by China Telecom includes safe and instant access for families, schools, business people and SMEs, through PCs or/and mobile phones, to various services based on cloud computing, said officials from China Telecom.

UnionPay, 360buy to boost mobile transaction service in Chengdu

September 4, 2011

China UnionPay, the sole operator of inter-bank transaction settlement operator in China, and 360buy.com, the largest E-business retail company in China, reached an agreement on Wednesday in Chengdu on strategic cooperation for promoting online and mobile transaction services in Chengdu. President of China UnionPay Xu Luode said at the signing ceremony that the move marked an important step forward for the company’s E-business development in Chengdu and will further promote the E-business industry

McKinsey eyes greater presence in West China

August 28, 2011

Dr. Jonathan Woetzel, director of McKinsey & Company’s Greater China Office, said at a meeting on Wednesday in Chengdu with top officials from the municipal government that McKinsey & Company (McKinsey) had planned business expansion in western China and it was likely that the company would set up an office in the city. McKinsey & Company is a leading global management consulting firm in the world. Dr. Woetzel said McKinsey placed great importance on the role of Chengdu in China’s Gowest Strategy and the company wished to further promote cooperation with Chengdu.

MFLEX’s Chengdu factory put into operation

August 28, 2011

MFLEX, the largest global flexible circuit manufacturer & assembler, announced on Thursday that the first-phase construction of its new factory, the Multi-Fineline Electronic (Chengdu) Co. ltd, was officially put into operation. MFLEX’s project in Chengdu involves USD120 million and are constructed in three stages. Upon completion, the project will be MFLEX’s largest flexible circuit manufacturer and a key R&D center in China.

Power grid capacity to be enhanced

August 28, 2011

The department of electric power of Chengdu said on Monday that the city will increase investment on upgrading its power grid system to serve the economic development in the coming years. The city has launched two major projects, the Hongqiao Project and the Tengfei Project. The Hongqiao Project, with an investment of RMB4 billion, has been completed and greatly relieved the power thirsty during the peak hours. The Tengfei Project, which is now underway, will involve an investment of RMB25.6 billion and be completed by 2015. Upon completion of the project, the electric system of the city will have a capacity of 13 Giga Watt

WatchGuard settles R&D center in Chengdu

August 21, 2011

WatchGuard Technologies announced on Tuesday that its fifth global R&D center started operation at Tianfu Software Park in the south of Chengdu. WatchGuard Technologies is a pioneer in network security appliances and a provider of Internet security solutions for small to midsized businesses worldwide. CEO of WatchGuard Technologies Joe Wang attended the opening ceremony of the center and said that the rich human resources of Chengdu were a major attraction to the company in settling its R&D center in the city. WatchGuard’s R&D center in Chengdu will be engaged in testing the reliability, security and applicability of solutions and appliances provided by the company to its users around the world. Wang said that WatchGuard had an ambitious plan in the Chinese market and western China would be the focus of its expansion.

Chengdu to play a greater role in new economic zone

14th Aug, 2011
Sichuan provincial government held a meeting on Wednesday to call for joined efforts by all sides to seize “the historic opportunity” to make a reality the prospective development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone.

The State Council has approved the plan for the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone, which is taken as a national strategy and given a priority by the central government for regional development.

According to the plan, Chengdu and Chongqing will be developed into twin engines for the economic zone. The provincial government said that Chengdu will play a leading role in upgrading industrial structure by optimizing its functions, pushing forward the balanced urban-rural development and making it a world-class garden city. The city will intensify its efforts in investment introduction and get ready for the global industrial shift.

Shuangliu airport, Sichuan airlines forge strategic cooperation

14th, Aug, 2011

Shuangliu Airport, Sichuan Airlines forge strategic cooperation Sichuan Airlines and Shuangliu International Airport signed an agreement for strategic cooperation relationship on Wednesday on boosting the airline capacity of the airport with an aim to make it the fourth largest air traffic hub in the country by 2015. Shuangliu International Airport has the largest capacity among airports in central and western China, with 119 domestic lines and 19 direct flights.

Electronics manufacturing the fastest-growing sector

7th, Aug, 2011

A recent report by Chengdu Commission of Commerce shows that the electronics manufacturing of Chengdu made a growth of 35. 5% in the first half of the year, the fastest of the large-scale industrial sectors of the city. Officials attributed the surge to the expansions and operations of the projects by some world leading companies that newly settled in Chengdu, including Foxconn, Compaq and Winstron. It is expected that the manufactures in Chengdu will have a capacity of 72 million laptop units a year by October, and the city will export more than 25 million laptops in the year.

City sets up start-up financing to encourage innovations

7th, Aug, 2011

Chengdu municipal government announced on Thursday at a press conference that the government had launched a start-up capital funding of RMB300 million to help entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas and scientific advances into products and services that speed up the transformation of the city on its way to be an innovative city. The project is also eyed as a way to attract hi-tech young professionals to start business in the city and applicants can be provided with a capital up to RMB3 million.

UPS initiates operation in Chengdu

31st, Jul, 2011

An MD-11 aircraft of United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS), the world’s largest package delivery company, landed on Monday at Shuangliu International Airport in southern Chengdu and completed its maiden voyage for the company’s delivery service in Chengdu. As the ﬁrst US airlines company operating in Chengdu, UPS’s Chengdu base at Shuangliu Air-port schedules ﬁve ﬂights a week, i.e. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. UPS has a ﬂeet of MD-11 planes, each with a capacity of 85 metric tons, to operate on the ﬂights.

HK airlines launches scheduled flights

31st, Jul, 2011

Hong Kong Airlines (HK Airlines), in cooperation with local tourism administrations and leading travel agencies, hosted a press conference in Chengdu on Monday on the inauguration of its scheduled ﬁghts between Chengdu and Hong Kong. The airlines will employ Boeing airplanes for the ﬂights that set off daily between the two cities, and the ﬂying time lasts for about two hours and twenty minutes. Ofﬁcials from HK Airlines said the service will signiﬁcantly bring down the travel expenses and further promote cultural, commercial and tourism exchanges between Chengdu and Hong Kong

Chengdu plans to be a leader in cloud computing service

19th, Jul, 2011

Chengdu municipal government released its plan on Monday to promote the applications of cloud computing and its industrial development. According to the plan, the city will make cloud computing one of its most important infrastructural sector and upgrade cloud computing service systems and production facilities of basic hard-ware and software and its end user products. By 2015, Chengdu will be the largest provider of cloud computing service and the end user products in the world. Local government ofﬁcials said that Chengdu has complete infrastructure of IT networks and information computing, storage and security systems. It is the ﬁrst city in the Chinese mainland to put supercomputing into commercial use, E-commerce and scientiﬁc research. The Chengdu Super Computing Center at the hi-tech zone in the south of the city has achieved a computation speed of 140 trillion calculations per second.

Air China starts direct flight between Chengdu and Tokyo

16th, Jul, 2011

Air China’s Southwest Branch, based in Chengdu, launched Chengdu-Tokyo direct flight on Thursday. The operation is the first direct flight line to link Tokyo and cities in western China. Air China will schedule three A-319 flights in a week (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) for the line from July 1. The one-way flight will take about four and a half hours, a considerable save in time compared with the previous 10-hour journey between the two cities that had to take a stop-over.

Rakon launches Chengdu factory

12th, Jul, 2011

Rakon Limited (Rakon) announced on Monday in Chengdu the inauguration of Rakon Crystal (Chengdu)Co.ltd. Ofﬁcials from Chengdu municipal government and Rakon were present at the opening ceremony.

Executive director of Rakon Limited Brent Robinson said that Rakon Crystal (Chengdu) is the Rakon’s second project in China and will be the production base of high-standard timing and frequency-control products, which have a wide range of applications in the GPS and telecommunications network market.
The Chengdu project involves an investment of USD85 million and is expected to start production next month. Rakon is a New-Zealand-based manufacturer of frequency-timing solutions, primarily quartz crystals and temperature-compensated crystal oscillators. Since 1990 Rakon has specialized in supplying frequency-control products to the GPS industry. The company has leading market positions in the supply of crystal oscillators to the GPS, telecommunications network timing/synchronization and aerospace markets.

Dell, Intel start e-management solution center

6th, Jul, 2011

Dell and Intel unveiled their e-management solution center on Wednesday at Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in the south of the city. The solution center, with the applications of mobile telecommunication, cloud computing and intelligent database, can serve for varied purposes including education, medical care and e-government.

City expects strong growth in software industry

29th, Apr, 2011

The software industry of Chengdu will make an annual income of RMB320 billion by the year of 2015, according to a report publicized by departments of Chengdu municipal government at ChinaSoft 2011. The report says that the software industry of the city made a remarkable growth in recent years, with an annual growth rate of 35%. A number of national-level software and IT industrial parks have settled in the city.

Chinasoft 2011 opens in Chengdu

29th, Apr, 2011

    The 9th China International Software Cooperation Conference (ChinaSoft 2011), with a theme of “Intelligent City, Green IT” opened in Chengdu on Wednesday.
    ChinaSoft 2011 is sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Intellectual Property Office, China Council for the Promotion International Trade and Sichuan provincial government and is participated by more than 60 leading companies and more than 70 companies and organizations from the USA, the UK, France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, India, Israel, Singapore, the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and Taiwan province, as well as companies in the Chinese mainland, including Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, Panduit, Taiyo, Fuji Electric, ARM, EMS, HWM, Sony-Ericsson, Dawning and Neusoft. Chengdu inaugurated ChinaSoft in 2003 and the event has become an important part of the city government’s efforts to make Chengdu China’s Famous Software City for its help in promoting international exchange and cooperation.
    The event of this year will put up a series of exhibitions and host six forums, while negotiations and visits will take place during the event, which registered an attendance of about 3, 500.
    A theme forum of “building an intelligent city” was held after the opening ceremony on Wednesday, when top officials and professionals from leading companies of the IT industry from China and overseas were invited to give suggestions on the topic and the development of software industry of the city.
    Chengdu is the pioneering city in the Chinese mainland to launch a cloud computing center and the first city to apply the technology to E-government management. The Supercomputing Center in the south of the city will in the coming two years enhance its capacity for the third time, which is expected to reach a speed of petafl op/s.

Nation’s largest pharmaceutical expo held in Chengdu

21st, Apr, 2011

Pharmchina, the largest expo of the pharmaceutical industry in China, opened in Chengdu on Thursday. The API & Interphex China was also inaugurated in the city the same day.

A total of 100 thousand square meters has been arranged for the exhibition of the products, equipments, packaging and raw materials of the pharmaceutical industry and over 3, 500 companies from 18 countries and regions take part in the events, which are expected to register an attendance of 100 thousand during the 3-day period.

More than 100 forums and meetings will also be held at the events to discuss on the issues concerning management, marketing, international cooperation and the application of modern technologies to the development of the industry.

EMC R&D center settles in Chengdu

19th, Apr, 2011

EMC Corporation signed an agreement on Tuesday in Chengdu that its R&D center will be set up at Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in the south of the city.

The center, located at Tianfu Software Park within the Zone, is EMC’s third R&D center in China after those in Beijing and Shanghai and is designed to be a technology and development operation of database, cloud computing and global solutions. It is expected to be put into service this year.

Dell to launch new operation site in Chengdu

23rd, Mar, 2011

    Dell executives celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony of the company’s new global operation site in Chengdu on Wednesday. Located in the comprehensive bonded zone in the western zone of Chengdu High-tech Zone, the new Dell site is expected to become a key element in the company’s growth.
    Dell chose the site due to favorable growth projections and the country’s commitment to build a world-class supply chain ecosystem in Sichuan, making it an optimal location to ramp and grow its ability to serve the needs of customers in western China and beyond. Dell announced plans to open its second major China operation center last September. It will include manufacturing, sales and services operation. About 3,000 jobs may be created in the Chengdu site and neighboring areas when the center is fully operational.
    As a world-class operation, the new site in Sichuan will employ Dell’s global product development and design resources to provide products serving clients in government, large enterprises, small and medium-sized firms and consumers. It is expected to begin operation later this year. The new Chengdu site, in conjunction with the Xiamen center, will develop a global product supply system that will help satisfy domestic and global needs.
    On the strength of the talent pool, distribution infrastructure and supporting policies of the region, Sichuan is the best choice for our investment. The groundbreaking ceremony of the Chengdu site shows Dell’s commitment and determination in its goal to have a firm root in the Chinese market, said Dell China Chairman Amit Midha.
    China is Dell’s second largest revenue producing country after the United States. From fiscal year 2000 to 2010, Dell China’s revenue grew 11 fold.

Chengdu-Lanzhou railway under construction Chengdu launches powergrid upgrading project

13th March, 2011

The city kicked off its massive power grid upgrading project on Wednesday with a ceremony to celebrate the operation of a 220-kv substation in southern Chengdu. The project, called the Soaring Project, will involve an investment totaling over RMB25 billion to upgrade the substations, electric circuit and strengthen the production capacity to significantly increase the production and improve the capacity load ratio of the grid network of the city. The project is believed to be of great importance to the economic development of Chengdu and to the city’s drive to make it a world-class garden city.

Airport says second runway trial operation a success

13th March, 2011

Shuangliu International Airport declared on Tuesday that the third time and final trial operation of its second runway was successful after a comprehensive examination of all the operations of aircraft landing, illumination, communications and so on that proved reliable and up to the operational standards. The airport said the data obtained from the trial operation had been submitted to Civil Aviation Administration of China for its examination and the approval to grant the use of the runway, which is expected by the end of next month.

The construction of Chengdu-Lanzhou railway

6th March, 2011
A newly-designed route to link Chengdu and Lanzhou, started last week when an inauguration ceremony was held in Songpan County in northwestern Sichuan. The railway with a total length of 463 kilometers and an estimated investment of RMB 62 billion will be the first rail line to run across thenorthwestern regions in Sichuan province. Upon completion, it is believed, the traveling hours from Chengdu to Lanzhou will be shortened to four hours while it will only take two hours from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, a famous travel destination noted for its natural beauty.

Chengdu a pilot city in service industry reform

22nd Febuary, 2011

Chengdu Commerce Bureau said on Thursday that Chengdu was named by the National Development and Reform Commission one of the first pilot cities for comprehensive reform in the service industry. Focus of the reform in the five years of the trial period will be on reforming the system of the industry and improving the mechanisms, so as to realize the adjustment of development modes and industrial structure, expand internal demands and foster new economic growth points. According to the plans by local governments, the added value from the service industry will account for two-thirds of the city’s GDP by the year of 2013 and 1.1 million more people, over the figure of 2009, will be employed in the sector by the time.

City plans more Metro lines

30th Jan, 2011

Local transportation authority announced online earlier this week the plan for the future development of the subway traffi cin Chengdu, which indicates that the city will have 10 Metro lines instead of the originally planned seven lines. According to the plan, the total length of subway traffic lines will reach 348.2 kilometers by 2020, including 252.8 kilometers in the downtown areas.

Dell’s customer support center launched in Chengdu

23rd Jan, 2011

Dell started on Monday the operation of the Dell Chengdu Customer Support Center, the first project of its flagship center at Tianfu Software Park in southern Chengdu. Officials from Dell said at the inauguration ceremony that Chengdu is “the best choice” for the company’s ambitious strategy to expand in western China. The customer support center, one of Dell’s three major centers in China and the first in western China, is believed to significantly promote Dell’s presence in China.

Chengdu Hi-tech Park Duty Free Zone To Start Operation

West China City Daily, 6th Jan 2011, Thu

Chengdu Hi-tech Park Duty Free Zone will start operation this month, according to sources of Sichuan provincial departments. The examination and quarantine facilities and other functional departments of the airport logistics park, part of the Chengdu Hi-tech Park Duty Free Zone, have already been put into operation. Constructions of other facilities of the zone are underway. There are more than 30 international companies with total investment 2.23 billion USD, i.e. Intel, TI, Foxconn, Molex.

Hi-tech Park intensifies talent introduction efforts

Chengdu Weekly, 2nd Jan 2011, Sun

The administration of Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone said last Sunday that it had set up agencies in the UK and the US to recruit high-end professionals from overseas. The move is considered as a pioneering practice by local government departments for talent introduction and the administration said that it welcomes overseas professionals to start up business in the high-tech park.

Chengdu Factory’s iPad Capacity to Reach 100ml Units in 2013

Chengdu Weekly, 2nd Jan 2011, Sun

President of Foxconn Technology Group Terry Gou announced in Chengdu this week that Foxconn’s factory in Chengdu will see “a great leap “in the coming years. To be specific c, he said that the Chengdu factory will produce40 million units of iPad this year, and the capacity is expected to reach 100 million in 2013.Foxconn’sfactory in Chengdu, the biggest investmentfor a single contract atlast year’s 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair, is an investment of USD1 billion and Terry Guo said Foxconn will add investment to make the factory one of Foxconn’s key production bases in the world, citing that he was “very much impressed” by the efficiency of local government departments that led to the start of the project.

Chengdu to Host Meeting of Overseas Chinese Investors

Oct 17th, 2010

The 2010 Overseas Chinese Professionals High-tech Symposium & Sichuan International Conference of Overseas Chinese Investors will be held in Chengdu Oct. 20th-23rd. About 600 government officials, high-level management and academic staff from more than 30 countries and regions will attend the meeting, so far the largest in size, and investment deals of RBM30 billion are expected to be signed during the event.

OECD Global forum on Trade held in Chengdu

Oct 10th, 2010

The first key project of the 11th Western China International Fair, OECD Global Forum on Trade, opened on 13th October in Chengdu. The forum was sponsored by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD), the World Bank, the Ministry of Commerce and Sichuan provincial government. According to officials from the commercial departments of Sichuan provincial government, this is the first time China to host the forum and the theme of the event is “globalization, regional comparative advantages and trade policies”. Top government officials from China and foreign countries, as well as the commercial organizations, academic institutions and companies, attended the meeting.

Western China Sourcing Fair to open in October

Chengdu Weekly, August 30th, 2010

The 2010 Western China Sourcing Fair, part of the 11th Western China International Economy & Trade Fair, is scheduled to be held in Chengdu October 17-21. The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and Sichuan provincial government. The event organizer said at a press conference on Thursday that an attendance of about 10, 000 purchasers, some 4,000 from overseas and 6, 000 from China, and a turnover of RMB200 billion at the event, are expected. Online transactions will be conducted on major E-business portals in China during the period.

China Electronics Fair to be held

Chengdu Weekly, August 30th, 2010

China Electronics Fair, the largest expo for the electronic industry in the country, will be staged Sept. 7-9 at Chengdu New Century International Exhibition and Conference Center in the south of the city. The event for this year will boast an exhibition area of over 11, 000 square meters and over 400 leading companies in the field will attend the fair, said organizer of the event, who also expected that more than 120, 000 visitors would be present at the site during the period. Attending companies to the event will include global leaders such as Digi-Key, Omron, Rohm, Taiyo Yuden, Murata Manufacturing Company, as well as Chinese leading companies, said the organizer. Various forums will also be held during the event, and the world’s distinguished experts will be invited to give lectures on modern technological developments and marketing analysis during the time.

Sichuan, Shanghai sign deals in Sichuan products

Chengdu Weekly, August 22nd, 2010

A promotional program for local specialties from Sichuan was staged on Wednesday at the World Expo in Shanghai. The program, organized by Sichuan provincial government, was part of the ongoing Sichuan Pavilion week during the World Expo. Over one thousand products of 11 categories, most of them special products from Sichuan, were displayed at an exhibition that attracted thousands of visitors. Sichuan products, especially tea, liquors, pickles, seasonings, pork and handicrafts works, have long enjoyed popularity among Shanghai people. At the exhibition, the government of Shanghai arranged a meeting of enterprises from Shanghai and Sichuan and the two parties signed agreements worth nearly RMB1 billion on selling Sichuan products on the spot.

Chengdu-Guiyang express train Launched

Chengdu Weekly, August 22nd, 2010

The first dispatch of express trains from Chengdu to Gui-yang was launched on Friday to meet the growing demand of passengers traveling between the two cities. Chengdu Railway Administration says that the express train is delivered everyday and travels about 11 hours and 25 minutes to reach its destination.

Foreign investment in city surges

Chengdu Weekly, August 1st, 2010

Chengdu Investment Promotion Commission said on Thursday the realized foreign investment in Chengdu saw a remarkable jump to be USD2.04 billion in the first half of the year, the largest among cities in western China and a 40.9% increase over last year. In the same period, eight more Global Fortune 500 companies settled in the city, including Metlife, MHI, Huawei, China Resources National and Dong-feng Motor Corporation, making the total number to reach 175.

Chengdu “important” in China’s new economic surge: Canada Ambassador

Chengdu Weekly, January 24th, 2010

Canada Ambassador to China David Mulroney said Chengdu is “an important city in the new economic surge of China” and stressed Canada and Chengdu will strengthen co-operations for future development.
Mr. Mulroney on Monday attended the ceremony to celebrate the establishment of Chengdu Ofﬁ ce of The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC).
Mr. Mulroney said on Tuesday at an interview with local media that the choice of the establishment in Chengdu is due to the city’s modernized infrastructure, educational and scientiﬁc resources and comprehensive competitiveness.
Canadian enterprises have wide-range investments in Chengdu, especially in the ﬁelds of ﬁnance, aeronautics, education and telecommunications.
The Chengdu Ofﬁce is one of CCC’s 11 ofﬁ ces in China and the sole organization in western China.
Notes:
The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) is a federal Crown corporation mandated to promote and facilitate international trade on behalf of Canadian industry, particularly within government markets.

Chengdu plays leading role in West China Development

Chengdu Weekly, January 24th, 2010

A report published by the State Information Center in this week cited Chengdu as a leading role for the West China Development Strategy, an example for investment environment improvement and balanced urban-rural development.
The report is result of a long-term study by the State Information Center, supervised by world-famous economist and Nobel Prize winner Robert A. Mundell and China’s leading economist Li Yining.
The report said that the development of Chengdu practice since the implementation of China’s West China Development Strategy in March 2000 sets an example for other cities in China in dealing with issues of urbanization, industrial upgrading, consuming structure, opening policies and the structural contradiction of binary economy between urban and rural areas.
The report thinks highly of Chengdu’s achievements in the industrialization and urbanization process, especially in the aspects of industrial adjustment and the efforts for globalization and informatization.
The report says that Chengdu has pioneered in the country in establishing modern property rights system in rural areas, which is considered key to solving the structural contradiction of binary economy between urban and rural areas; the coordinated measures by the municipal government on city planning, industrial development, market systems, infrastructural development, public service and administrative management have greatly accelerated the balanced urban-rural development and the establishment of a harmonious society.

Chengdu Cloud Computing Center starts operation

Chengdu Weekly, January 3rd, 2010

Chengdu Cloud Computing Center, the ﬁrst large-scale Cloud computing center in the Chinese mainland, was launched on Monday in Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone.
The center will be used for applications in administrative management, engineering, scientiﬁc research, massive computing and commercial purposes.
The system is capable of 200 trillion calculations per second, according to Liu Yong, director of Informa
tization Ofﬁ ce of Chengdu municipal government.
A partnership project with Dawning Information Industry Co., Ltd, the center is the largest cloud computing system in western China and one of the largest in China.

Chengdu on the way to be garden city

Chengdu Weekly, December 27th, 2009

Local government declared at a conference this week a plan to make Chengdu a world-class garden city in the future.
The government said the plan symbolizes the continuation and intensiﬁcation of the city’s dedication to promoting integrated development in urban and rural areas and the efforts to make Chengdu the city with the best investment environment, the best living environment and the strongest comprehensive competitiveness in western China.
The plan is also said to be a far-seeing document that coincides with the city’s historical orientation for sustainable development in the era of globalization and caters to local people’s need for a better living environment and a harmonic society.
The government stressed that the city should adopt modern development patterns to promote the hi-tech industry, on the basis of taking energy-saving measures and improving ecological environment, to
fulﬁ ll the leaping development.
The government said great importance should be attached to a city planning to ensure the balanced development of urban and rural areas, the proper treatment of economic development and ecological environment and the integration of modernization and historical elements.
According to the plan, Chengdu is to be made a world-class metropolitan city, a mega city in western China and a city of an integrated urban-rural development and a harmonious human-nature relationship.
Notes: The Garden city movement is an approach to urban planning that was founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained, communities surrounded by greenbelts, containing carefully balanced areas of residences, industry, and agriculture.

City hosts Third Online Business Fair

Chengdu Weekly, December 20th, 2009

The Third Online Business Fair, sponsored by China leading online sales company Alibaba, Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce and Chengdu Municipal Government, opened in Chengdu on Thursday.
The event boasts an exhibition area of 11,000 sqm for more than 500 companies and is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors.

India, Sichuan strengthen economic ties

Chengdu Weekly, December 20th, 2009

China-India Commercial Conference, sponsored by India Trade and Commerce Organization of the Indian Embassy in China, CCPIT Sichuan Council, was held in Chengdu on Tuesday. India sent a delegation, headed by India’s ambassador Dr. S. Jaishankar and including 28 top ofﬁ cials from companies in India, to have talks with the heads from 45 enterprises in Sichuan during the meeting, which marked the beginning of a number of business talks between China and India, part of the celebration for the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two countries next year.
Dr. S. Jaishankar said Sichuan plays an important role in the two countries’ economic and cultural cooperation and India has strong intention to push forward cooperative projects in IT and machinery industries between two sides.
He said India will stage a series of programs during the celebration and Chengdu has been chosen as the destination for the conclusion of the celebration.

Sri Lanka Consulate opens in Chengdu

Chengdu Weekly, December 20th, 2009

Chengdu celebrated on Tuesday the opening of Sri Lanka Consulate, the eighth consulate settling in the city.
The Sri Lanka Consulate will serve the supervising organization for its operations in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Shaanxi and Chongqing Municipality.

Siemens's first global call center ni China to be launched

Chengdu Weekly, December 13th, 2009

Siemens China announced at a press conference on Tuesday that its first global call center in China, headquartered in Chengdu, was to be put into operation in the first half of next year.

CEO of Siemens Peter Loescher said he held a great expectation of the development of Chengdu’s outsourcing industry and Siemens would increase its investments in the city. The call center, located in the Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in southern Chengdu, will have a staff of more than 200 professionals upon its operation to provide supportive services for the IT industry.

ISC granted approval to be first international school in Sichuan

Chengdu Weekly, December 6th, 2009

The Ministry of Education issued a document this week to officially designate International Schools of China (ISC) as an institution for the admission to children of foreign nationals and expatriates living in China, making it the ﬁrst school with the official approval to accept children of foreigners in Sichuan Province.

It is hailed to be a landmark event of Chengdu on the way to becoming an international metropolitan, which sees a growing demand of international-standard education as more world leading companies have settled in the city.

“The school provides globally recognized curricula covering the range from kindergarten to Grade 12,”said Mr. Belcher, headmaster of ISC.

The school, located in Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Zone (CDHT), currently has a teaching staff of 28 foreign teachers and an enrollment of more than 200 students, mostly from Korea and the US, who use textbooks introduced from the US.

High-speed Internet access links Chengdu to World

Chengdu Weekly, December 6, 2009

With the operation of Chengdu International Gateway Data Channel on Dec.1, the city made a substantial achievement on the way to become a hub city of telecommunication in western China, said government ofﬁ cials at the launch ceremony of the Channel.

“The operation of this data channel will increase the city’s International bandwidth, which will be a great help to the outsourcing companies in Chengdu,” said Bai Gang, deputy mayor of Chengdu. It is believed that Chengdu’s Internet access speed will be increased by 30 to 50 percent.

Shuangliu Airport’ new runway ready for use

Chengdu Weekly, December 6, 2009

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport will put its secondary runway into operation on Dec. 18, making Chengdu the ﬁrst city in western China and the fourth in China with an airport to have two runways. The other three cities are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The new runway is built to the southeast of the existing runway. With a total investment of RMB12.8 billion, the new runway is capable of landing Airbus A380, the world’s largest civil airplane.

Joyo Amazon Opens Fulfillment Centre in Chengdu

November 24, 2009

Joyo Amazon Chengdu FC held its opening ceremony in ProLogis Industrial Park in the west park of Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone. This fulfillment centre is the fourth one set up in China by Joyo Amazon with the previous locations being Beijing, Suzhou and Guangzhou. With an investment of 2 million USD and a construction area of 18,000 m2, the Chengdu FC can store nearly a million pieces of goods, and it will support the distribution to regions include Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Shaanxi, directly shortening the delivery period. Mr. Marc Onetto, the Senior VP of Worldwide Operations of Amazon attended the opening ceremony.

Wipro Technologies Inaugurates Development Centre in Chengdu

November 26, 2009

Wipro Technologies (Chengdu) Ltd. held its opening ceremony in Tianfu Software Park Phase II in Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone. It is a wholly-foreign-funded subsidiary of Wipro, the third largest software company of India. Its primary businesses include software testing, application software development and other software outsourcing-related services, with HP, GM, Volkswagen, and UBS being its major clients. The company currently hires over 100 staff, and this number is expected to grow to 500 in 2010 and 1500-2000 in 2011. According to informative sources, Wipro is going to integrate its 50 odd research and delivery centres in the world into seven strategic centres, and Chengdu will be one of them. Mr. Sambuddha Deb, the Chief Global Delivery Officer of Wipro Technologies attended the opening ceremony.

One-stop service for foreign-invested companies

Chengdu Weekly Nov.8, 2009

The municipal government departments from this month will provide coordinated service for appraisal and approval on the applications by foreign-invested enterprises in Chengdu. All the applications should, by custom, be wound up within ﬁve days, said Xue Xiaoming, director of the Standardized Service Ofﬁce of Chengdu municipal government on Wednesday.

The practice involves a number of functional departments which previously played individual roles in the process while applicants were required to submit documents to the departments one by one.

R&D Center boosts Chengdu’s cell phone software industry

Chengdu Weekly Nov.8, 2009

Europe’s biggest mobile software company Myriad Group announced on Tuesday that it will build a new R&D Center in the city’s Tianfu Software Park. Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Myriad Group, said that the center 70 more technicians will be recruited to strengthen its present team of 150 and make the Chengdu center Myriad’s biggest R&D center in the world. The software developed by the Chengdu R&D Center will be used in GPhone and Nokia cell phones.

Notes: Myriad is the largest mobile software company in Europe and a global leader in mobile technology with software for over 2 billion phones. Its comprehensive portfolio includes browsers, messaging, Java, mobile social networking, user interfaces and middleware for all types of mobile phones, from ultra-low cost handsets to advanced smartphones.

Rakon chooses Chengdu as bridgehead for expansion in China

Chengdu Weekly Nov.8, 2009

New Zealand-based Rakon Limited announced on Tuesday that it will begin the construction of a new Chinese manufacturing factory in Chengdu, a cooperation project with its Chinese partner, Shenzhen Timemaker Crystal Technology. With a total investment of USD50 million, the factory will mainly manufacture GPS crystal oscillators for cell phones. Rakon will start within this year the construction of a new facility, which is scheduled to begin operation in 2011.

Notes: Rakon is a world leader in the development of frequency control solutions. It has leading market positions in the supply of crystal oscillators to the GPS, telecommunications network timing, synchronization and aerospace markets. Shenzhen Timemaker Crystal Technology Ltd. is a Sino-American joint venture which produces a board range of quartz crystal components.

BOE’s Chengdu plant starts mass production

Chengdu Weekly Nov.1 , 2009

Wang Dongsheng, CEO of BOE

photo by Xie Minggang

BOE Technology Group, one of the largest LCD producers in China, launched mass production at its 4.5-generation TFT-LCD plant in Chengdu on Oct. 25. This is the ﬁrst TFT-LCD plant to start mass production in western China. With a total investment of RMB3.1 billion and an annual output of 30,000 units, BOE’s Chengdu plant will produce small and medium size LCD panels, which will be used in 12.1’ Laptops, Tablet PCs, Digital Photo Frames, Vehicle LCD Monitors and Mobile Devices.

Chengdu selected as China's No. 1 Soft power city

20/07/2009

The 2009 China Cities Soft Power Report was published on the Eastern View magazine. The research was conducted by senior researchers from Fudan University to assess ‘soft power’ of each Chinese city. Among the others, Chengdu was ranked No. 1 in overall soft power strength.

Chengdu selected into China's top ten quality cities

02/06/2009

In the 2008 Guidance Report on Life Quality of Chinese Cities released by Sina.com, Chengdu was selected as one of top ten quality cities in China, learnt the journalist on May 16th.

Switzerland's biggest hotel management and tourism institute placed a piece in Chengdu

02/06/2009

Since the settlement last month in Chengdu of the first "Accor College" in Asia of Accor Group, France, on May 16th, the "Swedish MRK" College set up jointly by Switzerland's biggest Hotel Management and Tourism College Group and the MRK Hotel Company also chose Chengdu as its settled location, which signifies Chengdu's vocational education is being gradually globalized, and the Sino-western education cooperation will also play an active promotion role in remodeling the city's educational structure.

Chinese B2C e-commerce's first southwest logistics center settled in Chengdu

01/06/2009

After the world B2C (Business to Client E-commerce) giant Amazon decided last month to set up in Chengdu its China Clientele Center and Call Center, on May 15th, Dangdang.com, a transnational Chinese language online store, announced the official start-up of the Chengdu-based logistics center - Dangdang Chengdu Warehouse, which is its fourth logistics distribution center in China after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and is also the first logistics center set up in Southwest China by a domestic B2C e-commerce giant.

White Paper of American Companies in China released in Chengdu

31/05/2009

On May 14th, the AmCham-Southwest China held a press conference to communicate certain information contained in the 2009 white paper on American Companies in China released recently, in which Chengdu being a unique representative in Southwest China has a dedicated discussion.

Investing 5 billion yuan, Faw-Volkswagen Chengdu base kicked off

27/05/2009

The Chengdu passenger sedan project invested with 5 billion yuan by FAW Group Corporation and Volkswagen Group, on May 8th, was started up ceremoniously in the Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone. The Chengdu car project became the single project with the biggest investment and highest technology content in the disaster area after the Sichuan Earthquake.

According to the current capacity planning, the first-phase engineering of the Faw-Volkswagen Chengdu construction project is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, and is capable of making 350,000 per year in the future.

To build destination city for international conference, seven conference projects secured in Chengdu

26/05/2009

On May 10th, "'Meeting' in Chengdu, Developing Innovatively - the Seminar on Construction of Destination City for International Conference and the Project Cooperative Meeting" were brought to a successful close, with 9 cooperative projects signed triumphantly. The business leaders at the meeting have confirmed to bring the conference projects into Chengdu such as the "International Cultural Creative Masters Going into Chengdu", the "Cold-chain Logistics Forum and Technology and Equipment Exhibition", the "Government Head Forum on Construction of Information Age", the "Academic Conference of Specialty Committee of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies", the "2010 International Display Equipment Development Forum", the "2009 Brand China Annual Character Selection and Brand China Summit Forum" and the "2009 (Third Edition) China Hotel Trade Marketing Conference", which are to be held accordingly within this year and next year.

Chengdu attracted 24 billion yuan of investment from outside Sichuan in first quarter, up 80

22/05/2009

During the first quarter, Chengdu has in total attracted 24.015 billion yuan of investment from outside Sichuan, mainly from the three economic circles of Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Ring Bohai, increasing 80%, which is 23% higher than the provincial increase rate, learnt the journalist on May 6th from the municipal investment promotion commission. Such sectors in the service industry as logistics, finances and trades whose utilization of domestic investment all grew over 200%, show a robust development momentum.

Chengdu as experimental city of "ten cities and ten thousand lights" semiconductor engineering

22/05/2009

Upon the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology, recently, Chengdu has formally ascended among the national experimental cities for the "ten cities and ten thousand lights" semiconductor engineering, which signifies that Chengdu's R&D and industrialization on semiconductor lighting have made new progress, learnt the journalist on May 8th from the municipal technological bureau. It is reported that in total 21 such cities were newly selected this time including Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Tianjing, Shenzhen and Chengdu.

Qionglai and French Glon Group signed strategic agreement

19/05/2009

On April 23rd, Europe's biggest meat processing company - Group Glon of France and Qionglai city formally concluded the strategic cooperative partnership. According to the agreement, the 5 year-time from May 1st of this year to May 5th of 2014 is the first phase of cooperation, and the Group Glon will build in Qionglai a world-leading boar breeding farm and an animal pharmaceutical factory, and in the meanwhile provide for local agricultural companies such technical supports as agro-technical personnel training, renewing of agricultural equipment and building of agricultural technical center, helping local agricultural products meet the international standard.

Fifth Session of Sino-Spanish Forum held in Chengdu

18/05/2009

The two-day long Fifth Session of the Sino-Spanish Forum was inaugurated in Chengdu on April 28th. Starting from 2003, the Sino-Spanish Forum is an agreed project by the heads of the two governments, aiming at promoting the Sino-Spanish cooperation and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of the two countries, and has been held successfully four times in Beijing, Barcelona, Shanghai and Madrid. This session was co-sponsored by the Chinese Committee of the Sino-Spanish Forum, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Sichuan Provincial People's Government and the Chengdu Municipal People's Government, whose theme is the "Sino-Spanish Cooperation, Acting against Challenges".

It is reported that the projects such as Sichuan post-disaster reconstruction and western comprehensive transportation hub and logistic center have attracted Spanish investors, and both sides have signed the Framework Agreement on Silicon Industrial Project of Ganzi Prefecture of Sichuan Province of China with an investment of 820 million euros as well as the Investment Suggestive Agreement Concerning Sichuan Expressway Project of an investment as high as 10.4 billion yuan.

Level-upgrading, Sichuan and Zhejiang signed 22 army-civilian scientific cooperation projects

18/05/2009

One side being Sichuan's military scientific research units of outstanding advantages, and the other side the capital-abundant Zhejiang corporations, on April 28th, both sides successfully connected at the Zhejiang-Sichuan Army-civilian Scientific Cooperation Connection Conference, with 22 army-civilian scientific cooperation projects fruitfully signed which involve 300 million yuan for the scientific development cooperation.

Carrying capital, New York risk investment looking for projects in Chengdu

11/05/2009

At the New York - Sichuan Investment and Financing Symposiumon held on April 7th, 6 investment organizations from the U.S. brought an exciting news: in considering globally the lesser impact on Chengdu by the financial crisis, a more stable market and huge industrial potential, they will regard Chengdu as a key region for seeking investment projects, and the new energy and new technology will be the fields most likely to be developed cooperatively by both sides.

Sichuan published 2009 key project planning, sharply increased by 120.6 billion yuan this year

06/05/2009

The 2009 Key Project Planning of Sichuan Province was published on April 9th. This year, Sichuan has listed 500 key projects, with total investment of 2159.1 billion yuan, and the planned investment in 2009 is 280.5 billion yuan. Compared with the annual investment plan of 159.9 billion yuan of 2008, a total of 120.6 billion yuan was added in this year's Sichuan investment plan, in which 93 continued construction and newly started projects were also added.

Fortune Global 500 company DHL to establish business service center in Chengdu

30/04/2009

After Accenture and Amazon, Chengdu welcomed its third investment project from Fortune Global 500 companies this year. On April 2nd, the global logistics giant DHL signed with Chengdu High-tech Zone an investment cooperation agreement, and will establish in the city the solely-owned DHL (Chengdu) Business Service Co., Ltd, and make it a comprehensive service-sharing center combined with such functions as financial shared service, customer service and human resources management in support of DHL's co-invested companies in China.

ChengDu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Investment News

SINA to settle wireless application RD center in Chengdu

Woori Bank sets up Chengdu branch

Intel settles logistics hub in Chengdu

Fortune Global 500 companies in Chengdu confident in future development

Hunan enterprises to start industrial park in eastern Chengdu

Harman to start RD center in Chengdu

Sichuan industrial strength sees rapid growth

First Financial Holding Chengdu company starts operation

Large projects to propel development of Tianfu New Area

Chengdu named a leading city of software industry in China

Chengdu’s foreign trade shows strong momentum

Underground traffic construction in full swing

Lenovo, Compal projects start operation

Chengdu on list of top 10 destinations in Asia-Pacific for FDI

CCB Chengdu headquarters launched

Philips settles LED factory in Chengdu

Dell to strengthen recruitment for Chengdu company

Key projects to promote Tianfu New Area development

Tyco opens new Chengdu center

Etihad opens Chengdu- Abu Dhabi direct flight

FedEX launches Chengdu-US freight flight

IT leaders in Chengdu for talks on development

Hanwha Group settles headquarters in Chengdu

Longquanyi gears up development of auto industry

Foxconn: Chengdu factory to be world No.1 iPad maker

Shuangliu to start IOT industrial park

Continental AG optimistic about Chengdu’s auto industry

Automotive aftermarket industry expo held in Chengdu

Chengdu hosts digital entertainment week

Chengdu named national E-commerce pilot city

Chengdu factory key role in global strategy: Lenovo

Chengdu hosts SME E-commerce Conference

Sofmit named best outsourcing company

360buy to settle RD center in Chengdu

Sichuan, Rose Rock sign strategic co-op agreement

Rail cargo freight to link Chengdu and Europe

Large project launched at Tianfu New Area

Planning of pan-Chengdu modern industrial zone approved

City’s GDP gets a 15% growth

WCIF sees growing international involvement

Siemens to build Chengdu plant, R&D base

Chengdu tops China in attracting service outsourcing investment

Chengdu-Kaohsiung direct flight to be opened

Chengdu to have a new airport

Chengdu-Chongqing region emerges as a global laptop production base

Sichuan, Singapore sign big deal on industrial park

Chengdu starts 5-scheduled freight trains to Alashankou

Financial industry development in Chengdu shows strong momentum

CMB settles financial back-office in Chengdu

Jones Lang LaSalle to increase investment in Chengdu

Chengdu launches jet nose manufacturing base

Fangda Group settles new-material production base in Chengdu

Sichuan to promote cloud computing-based service

UnionPay, 360buy to boost mobile transaction service in Chengdu

McKinsey eyes greater presence in West China

MFLEX’s Chengdu factory put into operation

Power grid capacity to be enhanced

WatchGuard settles R&D center in Chengdu

Chengdu to play a greater role in new economic zone

Shuangliu airport, Sichuan airlines forge strategic cooperation

Electronics manufacturing the fastest-growing sector

City sets up start-up financing to encourage innovations

UPS initiates operation in Chengdu

HK airlines launches scheduled flights

Chengdu plans to be a leader in cloud computing service

Air China starts direct flight between Chengdu and Tokyo

Rakon launches Chengdu factory

Dell, Intel start e-management solution center

City expects strong growth in software industry

Chinasoft 2011 opens in Chengdu

Nation’s largest pharmaceutical expo held in Chengdu

EMC R&D center settles in Chengdu

Dell to launch new operation site in Chengdu

Chengdu-Lanzhou railway under construction Chengdu launches powergrid upgrading project

Airport says second runway trial operation a success

The construction of Chengdu-Lanzhou railway

Chengdu a pilot city in service industry reform

City plans more Metro lines