The economic output of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle has surpassed 9 trillion yuan, accounting for approximately 6.5% of the national total. A clear timeline has been established for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to be fully established as the nation's economic "fourth pole." On April 30, the Chongqing municipal government website released the "Chongqing Action Plan for Enhancing the Development Level of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (2026-2030)," which mandates achieving significant advancement in comprehensive economic strength by 2030. The plan targets Chongqing's economic output to exceed 4 trillion yuan, while the combined GDP of Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality is projected to reach 13 trillion yuan, with their share of the national economy continuing to rise.
The action plan outlines the overarching goal of high-quality completion of the "fourth pole" of national regional development by 2030. It aims to comprehensively enhance the economic capacity, radiation-driven effects, innovation resource aggregation and conversion, integrated reforms, open gateway functions, population absorption, and comprehensive service capabilities of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. The plan seeks to substantially boost the circle's overall strength, accelerating its progression into a modern urban agglomeration with international influence.
First proposed in 2020, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle strategy has, after several years of development, led to a continuous increase in the comprehensive strength of the Sichuan-Chongqing region. By 2025, the combined economic output of Sichuan and Chongqing surpassed 10 trillion yuan, raising its share of the national economy to about 7.2%. The economic output of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle itself exceeded 9 trillion yuan, accounting for approximately 6.5% of the national total.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to "enhance the development level of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and build it into an important growth pole for high-quality development." Aligned with this strategic deployment, the action plan sets forth development targets across eight key areas, supported by 19 specific indicators. Among these, by 2027, the combined GDP of Sichuan and Chongqing is targeted to reach 11.2 trillion yuan, with the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle's output hitting 10.2 trillion yuan. By 2030, these figures are projected to rise to 13 trillion yuan and 12 trillion yuan, respectively. The share of the Sichuan-Chongqing region's economic output in the national total is expected to increase from 7.25% to 7.3%.
The year 2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period and is a crucial year for enhancing the development level of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. Recently, upon approval by the provincial and municipal governments, the "2026 List of Key Projects for the Joint Construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle" was issued for implementation. The list includes 350 projects with an estimated annual investment of 499.2 billion yuan.
With the construction plan for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle concluding successfully, the National Development and Reform Commission's report on the 2026 plan, submitted during the recent National People's Congress sessions, also identified as a key task for 2026 the introduction of the implementation plan for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle's development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, aiming to accelerate the enhancement of its development level.
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