Local news on July 21 reported that during the first half of this year, the regional GDP of Liangjiang New Area in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality hit 200.02 billion yuan ($30 billion), a year-on-year increase of 15 percent and accounting for 15.5 percent of the municipality's total GDP.
The total industrial output, added value of industries above a designated size, and added value of the digital economy in the new area grew by 41.1 percent, 31.7 percent, and 58.7 percent, respectively.
Profits among industries above a designated size were 6.1 times more than during the same period last year. Strategic emerging manufacturing output occupied more than one third of total industrial output.
Statistics show that nearly half of automobiles of Chongqing are produced in Liangjiang, which during the first two quarters boasted a total output of 435,000 vehicles worth 74 billion yuan, up 34 percent over last year. Liangjiang's electronics sector registered an output of 104.2 billion yuan, an increase of 48 percent, with the output of optoelectronic devices being 4.4 times larger than before. The modern service sector in the new area continues to raise its overall quality and efficiency levels.
Total retail sales of consumer goods in the first half of 2021 reached 35.5 billion yuan, while network retail sales were valued at 3.94 billion yuan.
R&D platforms totaled 23 were introduced in the Liangjiang new area, which now boasts 342 such platforms in total.
In the same period, Liangjiang's foreign investment in actual use surpassed $1.35 billion, accounting for 31 percent of Chongqing's total. Liangjiang also posted 3.8 billion yuan in cross-border e-commerce, an increase of 95 percent on a yearly basis.
John Edwards, the UK trade commissioner for China, praised Chongqing over its rise as a burgeoning center in intelligent manufacturing.