Wang recently acquired a Chongqing Hukou for his child, allowing him to receive healthcare insurance in the city. Wang, born in Sichuan, has been working in Chongqing for many years. "It's a big deal for the family. Before, I would have to travel back to Sichuan with my child in order to switch the Hukou over. Now I can just do it in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area," Wang said.

The system established by Sichuan and Chongqing allows online transfer and review of registration materials, meaning citizens no longer need to travel for cross-region applications, according to Feng Lulu, a local Hukou police in Liangjiang New Area.

The system is among the most extensive cooperate efforts carried out by the two cities under the framework of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, a national strategy laid out in 2020 to build the two cities into a driver of high-quality development in western China and create an inland strategic center for opening-up.

Industrial clusters forming

According to the outline for the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, an advanced manufacturing cluster will be built with international competitiveness, and a high-level automobile R&D and manufacturing base will be jointly established focusing on intelligent connected vehicles and new energy vehicles.

The Sichuan-Chongqing region is home to a complete automotive industrial chain. [Photo by Chen Lin]

The automobile industry is a leading industry in the economic circle. An automobile industry alliance was formed by the two cities, along with seven other industry alliances, to bolster coordinated industry development.

Changan Auto, a representative automobile company in Liangjiang, has over 200 suppliers in the two cities, accounting for 30% of the company's suppliers. The Chengdu branch of FAW-Volkswagen is seeing an increasing amount of car parts being made in Liangjiang.

Coordinated open platform

Positioned as a gateway for inland opening-up, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, the first national-level new area in inland China, is joining hands with other districts in the circle to better carry out reform and opening-up.

Guoyuan port achieves seamless multi-modal connection. [Photo by Feng Zhiyi]

Guoyuan port in Liangjiang New Area is the largest port on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and a key point connecting with regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. It plays a critical role for the economic circle in connecting with the rest of the world.

So far, the port has opened six water transit routes to cities in Sichuan, connecting all the main ports along Sichuan's Yangtze River trunk line. These routes have expedited the logistical connectivity of the opening-up demonstration zone and pilot free trade zones in the two cities.

Innovation resource gathering

According to the outline, Sichuan and Chongqing will build a center for technological innovation.

Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone, established in 2019, gathers research institutions of domestic and international universities. [Photo by Lan Tian]

In the Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone, a major technological innovation platform in the economic circle, 50 universities and institutes have gathered and 22 post-doctoral workstations have been set up.

A critical component in building a modern industrial system, the Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone has seen the commercialization of 193 Scientific and technological achievements worth 200 million yuan ($28.72 million).