Wang Kai: Build a new pattern for the development of the twin-city economic circle in Chongqing

The recently released "Outline of the Planning for the Construction of the Twin Cities Economic Circle in the Chengdu-Chongqing Region" proposes to focus on promoting the formation of a regional economic layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development, strengthen the leading role of Chongqing and Chengdu central cities, lead the overall coordinated development of the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and systematically expound the development pattern of the construction of the twin-city economic circle.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the sixth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Commission that the Chengdu-Chongqing region should build an important economic center with national influence, a scientific and technological innovation center, a new highland for reform and opening up, and a livable place for high-quality life. Located at the intersection of the "Belt and Road" and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle is the starting point of the new land-sea corridor in the west, and has unique advantages in connecting the southwest and northwest, connecting East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Promoting the construction of the twin-city economic circle in the Chengdu-Chongqing region and creating a high-quality and important growth pole is of great significance to the country's construction of a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other.

New mission under the new development pattern

Under the new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other, the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle has the ability and responsibility to undertake the mission of the country's new growth pole.

At present, the pattern of world trade and industrial division of labor has undergone major adjustments, in the face of new contradictions and new challenges brought about by changes in the external environment, give full play to the advantages of China's super-large-scale economy, make full use of the trend and advantages of the significantly enhanced innovation ability in the Chengdu-Chongqing region, the continuous increase in the scale of the permanent population, the continuous release of domestic demand market potential, and the accelerated restructuring of the industrial chain, so as to realize the rational flow and efficient agglomeration of industry, population and various production factors as soon as possible, which is conducive to building a new pattern of cooperation and interaction with the eastern coastal areas and expanding the new space for participation in international cooperation. Create an important growth pole and a new power source that drives the high-quality development of the country.

The Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle is an important strategic area in China's western region that connects the east and the west and the north and the south. Historically, the region has assumed important responsibilities in ensuring national strategic security, organizing regional production, bulk material supply and ecological security barriers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River; in the new era, the region has played an irreplaceable and prominent role in implementing the national "Belt and Road" initiative and practicing the ecological priority green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The first is to build a major transportation corridor connecting China's north and southwest regions, and open up a new economic and trade situation facing Southeast Asia; the second is to build a large channel connecting the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River with the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to form a major artery in the east-west direction of China's national territory; the third is to build a national energy corridor connecting the northwest (Guanzhong, Lanzhou-Xining, the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains) and the southeast (Pearl River Delta, Beibu Gulf).

Lead and drive regional high-quality development

In the past 10 years, the comprehensive strength and international influence of Chongqing and Chengdu have increased significantly, and their positions in the rankings of the Globalization and World Cities Research Group and Network (GaWc) have been rising, and the population size and economic aggregate have entered the top 10 in the country. In 2020, the GDP of the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle will account for more than 6.5% of the country, and the combined passenger throughput of the airports of the two cities will exceed 100 million passengers.

Through the "double circle" to lead the regional high-quality development. The Twin Cities Economic Circle in Chengdu-Chongqing has become one of the most populous areas in China. According to the results of the seventh national census, the permanent population of Chengdu and the main city of Chongqing has increased significantly compared with the "six censuses", and the inflow of population is obvious. Accelerating the construction of the two major metropolitan areas of Chongqing and Chengdu, rationally relieving the excessive population and functions of the central urban areas, and realizing the development of polycentric and grouped cities are important measures to achieve high-quality development of the twin-city economic circle.

The Chongqing metropolitan area should promote the integrated development of the central urban area and the yuxi region, promote the construction of regional centers such as Fuling, Yongchuan, Hechuan, Qijiang-Wansheng through the construction of industrial bases and 1-hour commuting circles, improve the characteristic functions of Rongchang, Tongliang, Dazu and Tongnan in the periphery, and improve the ecological environment quality along the Yangtze River and Wulong Mountain. The Chengdu Metropolitan Area should promote the integrated development of Chengdu with Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang, accelerate the integrated layout of productive forces, guide the co-construction and sharing of infrastructure, public service facilities and leisure services, and create a comprehensive demonstration zone for the integration of Chengdu and Meicheng with capital.

Based on "one axis and two wings", we will promote the integrated development of the twin-city economic circle in The Chengdu-Chongqing region. The change of transportation mode has significantly shortened the "time and space distance" between Chengdu and Chongqing, laying a solid foundation for the development of regional integration. On the one hand, by strengthening the main axis of Chengdu-Chongqing development, we will guide the interactive development of Chongqing Metropolitan Circle and Chengdu Metropolitan Circle. Relying on the three comprehensive transportation corridors between the two cities, we will promote the aggregation and flow of factors, cultivate a number of regional economic centers, and realize the integrated development of Suining and Chongqing Tongnan in Sichuan, and Ziyang in Sichuan and Dazu in Chongqing. On the other hand, we should actively cultivate the coordinated development corridor between the north and the south wings. The development corridor in the north of Chongqing-northeast Sichuan should strengthen the win-win cooperation of industry, public services and ecological environmental protection. The southern Sichuan-Yuxi development corridor, which is distributed with many traditional industrial bases and traditional central cities in the era of water transport, should increase support for industrial transformation and promote the development of Neijiang and Zigong in the same city. Give full play to the linkage advantages of water transport, land transport and air transport, and build a new land and sea corridor in the western region and a logistics hub in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the radiation and driving effect of the twin-city economic circle on the surrounding underdeveloped areas, consolidate and enhance the results of poverty alleviation, and promote the realization of common prosperity.

Coordinate the development of large, medium, and small cities and county seats

There are a large number of large, medium, and small cities in the Twin Cities Economic Circle in the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and it is crucial to establish a scientific and reasonable urban system.

Focus on transforming the way megacities are developed. As the central cities of Chongqing and Chengdu, while upgrading the development level and enhancing the high-end service functions, we should further take into account the diversified needs of economy, ecology, safety and health, reasonably control the scale and population density of the city, and promote the transformation of urban development from epitaxial expansion to connotation improvement, so as to achieve "slimming and fitness". Chongqing is committed to creating a new example of high-quality development and high-quality life, and Chengdu is actively building a park city demonstration area that practices the new development concept, which will play a pioneering role in exploring a new path for the governance of megacities.

Pay attention to improving the functional quality of large and medium-sized cities. Large and medium-sized cities should base themselves on characteristic resources and industrial foundations, take the initiative to undertake industrial transfer and functional relief in Chongqing, Chengdu and the eastern region, consolidate the foundation for the development of the real economy, support Wanzhou, Nanchong, Dazhou, Yibin, Luzhou and other countries to enhance their comprehensive carrying capacity, and accelerate the formation of regional central cities with radiation service surrounding functions. Efforts should be made to increase the supply of high-quality medical, educational, cultural and sports resources, improve the living environment, and continuously improve the quality of urban functions.

Pay attention to making up for the shortcomings of county development. As a key link in the integration of urban and rural development, the county has great potential to meet the people's employment and settlement needs, and is a basic part of China's urbanization. It is necessary to promote the appropriate tilt of public resources to counties and towns, accelerate the completion of shortcomings in public services, municipal public utilities and public transportation, guide labor-intensive industries, county-level characteristic economies, and rural secondary and tertiary industries to cluster and develop in county towns, enhance the ability of county-level governance, and promote the nearby urbanization of the agricultural transfer population. Give full play to the demonstration role of new urbanization construction in Jintang, Lezhi, Daying, Jiang'an, Mianzhu, Matjiang, Zhongxian and other counties, and support the replicable and generalizable experience and practices as soon as possible.

Pay attention to classification to guide the development of small towns. Support key towns located within the metropolitan area to strengthen planning and coordination with surrounding cities, functional support, and cultivate small towns with characteristic resources and location advantages into professional characteristic towns, and enhance the function of general small towns in serving rural areas.

(Source of this article: Economic Daily Author: Wang Kai, President of China Academy of Urban Planning and Design)