Dazhou, located in Sichuan province, is the first place in the region to greet the sunrise. Bordering Shaanxi and connecting Chengdu and Chongqing, this key city in eastern Sichuan boasts a rich history as the ancient home of the Ba people and carries significant titles: "China's Gas Capital" due to its abundant natural gas resources, it hosts the country's first marine-phase lithium- and potassium-rich resource mine, is one of Sichuan's three main coking coal bases, has led the province in total grain output for 13 consecutive years, and consistently ranks among the top in comprehensive evaluations of private economic development.
As the "14th Five-Year Plan" period concluded, impressive data emerged: in 2025, Dazhou's regional GDP reached 299.9 billion yuan, growing 6.3%, returning the city's economic aggregate to 6th place in the province after a decade. As the "15th Five-Year Plan" begins, Dazhou shoulders major responsibilities: strengthening its role as a provincial economic sub-center and regional central city, positioning itself within the Chengdu-(Mianyang)-Nanchong-Dazhou-Wanzhou economic belt, and driving revitalization in the northern wing of the Chengdu-Chongqing area. In this foundational year, where is Dazhou headed, and from what starting point will it begin its sprint?
Beyond data fluctuations, the first question to consider is: where does Dazhou stand today? In March, Dazhou held a study session for leading county and departmental officials, describing the successful conclusion of the "14th Five-Year Plan" as placing Dazhou at a new historical starting point. The session reaffirmed goals: over the next five years, Dazhou's economic growth rate should exceed the national and provincial averages, aiming for an economic aggregate surpassing 400 billion yuan and striving for 450 billion yuan by 2030.
Local analysis suggests these targets align with Dazhou's responsibility to serve national and provincial strategic needs. Amid fluctuations in international energy markets, Dazhou, as a crucial source for the West-East Gas Pipeline, bears significant responsibility "to serve the national energy security strategy and accelerate natural gas exploration, development, and local industrialization."
Target setting also stems from pressures of横向 competition. Within the province, Dazhou finds itself "with front-runners ahead and close followers behind." Among the major economic cities designated by the provincial party committee, Chengdu leads the pack; Mianyang and Yibin have GDPs exceeding 400 billion yuan; Deyang and Luzhou exceed 300 billion yuan; while Dazhou and Nanchong, nearing the "300-billion-yuan club," are locked in a tight race. Consequently, Dazhou's decision-makers have repeatedly emphasized that to overtake and advance, it must "act as early as possible and move as fast as possible."
Speed requires choosing the most suitable direction. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Dazhou's service sector grew rapidly, contributing significantly to GDP, driven by consumption upgrades, digital transformation, and industrial integration. However, marginal benefits are gradually diminishing. Next, Dazhou needs to "stabilize the agricultural foundation, maintain relatively fast growth in services, and, more importantly, strengthen industry as the 'hard backbone'."
As an industrial hub in eastern Sichuan, Dazhou has a solid foundation. Currently, it is one of Sichuan's eight Artificial Intelligence Innovation Development Pilot Zones, giving it a clear first-mover advantage. The ultimate requirement for AI is computing power, and the foundation of computing power is electricity. In recent years, Dazhou has been building momentum by promoting major projects in clean coal power, sodium battery energy storage, and gas power stations. The Dazhou Gas Power Station, utilizing abundant local natural gas, has an installed capacity of 2.18 million kilowatts, making it the largest gas-fired power station in Sichuan.
How will Dazhou sprint forward? By advancing industry to shape its future. Adhering to an industry-driven city and manufacturing-strengthened city strategy, Dazhou will continue building "one district, one hub, one center," actively serve national and provincial strategies, and better integrate into the new development格局. Examining Dazhou's "15th Five-Year Plan" reveals a clear focus: industry. This恰好 responds to the provincial committee's broader plan to "promote high-quality development in the Northeast Sichuan Economic Zone led by industrial revitalization."
How can industry become stronger? By bolstering pillar industries and strengthening the backbone. By the end of 2025, Dazhou had 1,086 industrial enterprises above designated size, ranking 4th in the province. However, local authorities are well aware that "the lack of large enterprises, large platforms, and large industries are key constraints to building a modern industrial system." Therefore, Dazhou is targeting advanced manufacturing, attracting leading enterprises, and forging industrial chains.
Focusing on large enterprises: Since March, the main responsible comrade of the Dazhou Municipal Party Committee has led investment promotion delegations to Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shaanxi, and elsewhere. These efforts facilitated the signing of an agreement between BASF (China) and Sichuan Starry Sky Sodium Battery Co., aiming to collaborate on R&D for core materials like battery cell components and PACK module materials, accelerating the construction of a full sodium-ion battery industry chain. Collaborations were also established with Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwest A&F University on shared research platforms, technological breakthroughs, talent, and industrial synergy. Cooperation with Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum was deepened in areas like power energy, and natural gas, lithium, and potassium exploration and development.
Aiming for large platforms: Currently, in Dazhou Puguang Economic Development Zone, the Meilian New Energy and Polymer Material Industrialization Project (Phase I) is progressing vigorously. With a planned total investment of 10 billion yuan, it aims to build the world's largest masterbatch production base, with an estimated annual output value of 16 billion yuan and creating over a thousand jobs. Li Haiqing, Deputy Director of the Dazhou Puguang Economic Development Zone Management Committee, stated that to strengthen the park, Xuanhan County has established a dual guarantee system of "special team high-level coordination + park贴身 services," with key projects reviewed weekly to resolve issues like permits and utilities.
In April, Dazhou held a city-wide promotion meeting for high-quality development of industrial parks, anchoring efforts in five directions: upgrading等级, improving quality, establishing parks, filling parks, and innovation reform. The goal is to accelerate the creation of a national high-tech industrial development zone and provincial-level economic development zones, and propel three main parks towards higher能级.
Securing large industries: Dazhou is implementing a "Upgrading, Circling, Chaining, and Empowering" action this year, focusing on key industrial chains like natural gas, lithium-potassium, phosphorus-sulfur, and agricultural machinery equipment, continuously extending, supplementing, and strengthening these chains to ensure output value growth of over 5% in six leading industries.
Cultivating emerging industries to enrich the fabric. Dazhou is prioritizing new quality productive forces. Amid白热化 competition for前沿科技 and industrial commanding heights, Dazhou remains calm: avoiding herd mentality, reckless advances, and favoring the new while discarding the old. Instead, it follows a principle of establishing the new before phasing out the old, adapting to local conditions, providing classified guidance, and highlighting advantages, application scenarios, and enhancing the industrial "new content" and "green content."
Basalt fiber, a new green inorganic non-metallic material for the 21st century, boasts high strength, insulation, flame retardancy, corrosion resistance, and tolerance to extreme temperature differences. Dazhou already has enterprises using it to produce drone shells, but the key lies in gradually establishing standards for细分 fields. The next step involves全力争取 to establish relevant standards as soon as possible to lead the industry's accelerated development.
Modern agricultural machinery is a crucial production factor for hilly region agriculture. In late March, at the 2026 National Agricultural Machinery Exhibition in Zhumadian, Henan, the Dazhou delegation reached cooperation agreements on hilly agricultural machinery with distributors and cooperatives from multiple provinces within two days. "We launched an AI+ precision pesticide application robot, attracting clients from Russia and Spain who showed particular interest," said Yang Yongqing, Deputy General Manager of Sichuan Jifurui Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd.
The low-altitude economy is a star future industry. The Northeast Sichuan-Northeast Chongqing Aviation Emergency Rescue Base has been successfully put into operation, several general aviation short-distance transport routes have completed trial flights successfully, and the province's first large-scale drone logistics low-altitude route has officially opened. Plans aim for Dazhou's low-altitude economy total output value to exceed 10 billion yuan by 2030, becoming a new engine for regional industrial upgrading and high-quality development.
Building robust infrastructure to ensure smooth operations. On April 21st, with the successful completion of the final循环爆破 operation, the cumulative excavation of the Tongluoshan Tunnel, a controlling project on the Dazhu-Dianjiang Highway, successfully broke through the 5,000-meter mark. Yang Peng, head of the TJ2 bid section, introduced that this road section is planned to be fully connected by the end of 2027.
Addressing transportation短板 requires neither ignoring shortcomings nor excessive超前. This year, Dazhou initiated a "Three-Year Sequential攻坚 Action for Transportation Construction," planning 110 projects. "Over the next three years, annual investment in transportation construction will exceed 20 billion yuan (including high-speed rail)," said Wu Yan, Director of the Municipal Transportation Bureau. The plan, based on provincial and municipal "15th Five-Year Plan" guidelines, emphasizes the core skeletal support of railways and highways, accelerating the establishment of Dazhou as a national comprehensive transportation hub and a comprehensive transportation and logistics hub for Sichuan's eastward and northward movement.
As one of the few prefecture-level cities in Sichuan without high-speed rail, Dazhou is striving to enter the "high-speed rail era" during the early-to-mid period of the "15th Five-Year Plan." Simultaneously, it is proactively planning for the high-speed rail economic corridor, corridor economy, hub economy, and port-proximate industries to lead the city's economic and social development.
Where is Dazhou headed? Towards "a hundred flowers blooming" within the new格局. Urban development is like a marathon without a finish line. Dazhou believes the focus while running should not be solely on itself; it must consider the broader picture to manage its part effectively, serving and integrating into the new development格局, and achieving greater responsibility through implementing national and provincial strategies.
Identifying the right policy focus: The Party Central Committee, State Council, and provincial party committee and government have部署 measures to vigorously boost consumption. Dazhou is acting accordingly: striving to get more projects included in national and provincial "master plans"; districts like Dachuan, Xuanhan, and Wanyuan are持续 igniting消费热情 through trade-in programs.
Viewing Dazhou from a broader perspective: Situated in the northern wing of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, it must play a greater role in "enhancing development能级." Recently, the "2026 List of Key Projects for the Joint Construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle" was issued, with Dazhou having 21 projects selected, covering five major areas including transportation, energy and water conservancy, and modern industries. The annual planned investment is about 16.2 billion yuan, and the number of projects stably ranks among the top in the province.
It's not just about focusing on "personal growth" but also "playing a good supporting role" through team collaboration. After the Chengdu-Dazhou-Wanzhou high-speed rail opens, travel from Nanchong North Station to Dazhou South Station will take only about 30 minutes. In jointly fostering the Northeast Sichuan provincial economic sub-center, Dazhou and Nanchong have明确 agreed to携手打造 an advanced manufacturing agglomeration area, co-build a gathering place for innovative talent in Northeast Sichuan and an innovation and entrepreneurship development alliance, and协同开展 ecological environmental protection.
Strengthening the county economy is another "lever" for collaboration. The seven counties (cities, districts) are each identifying their main thrusts and细分 fields, proceeding from reality, and fully utilizing their unique characteristics and endowments. Xuanhan County, leading the pack, where industry accounts for "half the economy," will focus on emerging industries and a 100-billion-yuan industrial park, aiming to become a "100-billion-yuan county." Kaijiang and Quxian counties, each with their advantages, are focusing on new-type industrialization, enhancing the added value of industries like electronic information and light textiles and apparel. Dazhu County's bamboo and ramie industries are highlights, continuing to break new ground and move towards innovation and excellence. Wanyuan is seizing opportunities from foundational support policies to advance乘势而上.
A single flower does not make spring; a hundred flowers in bloom fill the garden with spring's splendor! The character "达" in Dazhou: the component "大" is like a bedrock, supporting the era's responsibility of "a major city shouldering major tasks"; the "走" radical on the left resembles an unrolling scroll tracing the determined path of "acting decisively once decided." The two elements blend, jointly narrating Dazhou's present reality: although the road is long, perseverance will lead to the destination; although the task is difficult, determined effort will ensure success.
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