BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- As one of the earliest inland cities opened to the outside world, Chongqing has deeply engaged in Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in recent years, stated Tang Liangzhi, mayor of Chongqing Municipality.
Progress has been made in building and expanding connectivity routes, said Tang at a press conference held recently by China's State Council Information Office.
Data shows the China-Europe freight trains (Chongqing) have made over 4,100 trips, with the overseas distribution centers scattering in more than 30 cities in 11 countries.
Through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, three transport models have taken shape in Chongqing, including the rail-sea multi-modal transport, cross-border trucking services and cross-border freight trains, Tang said, adding that the two-way rail-sea multi-modal transport has been operated on a daily basis, exceeding 1,200 trips.
"We have focused on improving opening-up platforms. Strong momentum has been maintained in 19 national development and opening-up platforms like Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing High-Tech Zone, and Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone," Tang added.
So far,182 projects have been signed under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initative on Strategic Connectivity, with the value totaling 26.46 billion U.S. dollars, and 197 institutional innovations have been made in the China (Chongqing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, among which 12 have been replicated nationwide.
Meanwhile, Chongqing has also striven for the open economy to attract foreign investment.
It is worth noting that Chongqing has seen the amount of the foreign investment in actual use record more than 10 billion U.S. dollars for eight consecutive years. In 2018, the value of the municipality's imports and exports reached 522.26 billion yuan, ranking the 11th in China and the 2nd in Central and Western China. Of Fortune 500 companies, 287 have established their presence in Chongqing.
Chongqing should continue to be not only a driver in advancing Belt and Road Cooperation, but also a leader of green development along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Tang pointed out.
Data shows the forest coverage rate of Chongqing reached 48.3 percent, of which the forest coverage rate on both sides of the Yangtze River section in Chongqing exceeded 50 percent. (Contributed by Wu Congsi, Ding Yawen, edited by Hu Pingchao)
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