Ya'an Economic and Technological Development Zone (referred to as "Ya'an Development Zone" or the "zone") is located east of Ya'an City, within Chengdu's one-hour traffic circle. Originally established as Ya'an Ecological Technology Industrial Park in 2002, it was upgraded to Sichuan Ya'an Industrial Park in 2006 and renamed Sichuan Ya'an Economic Development Zone in 2013 after the "4.20" M7.0 earthquake. In June 2021, with the State Council's approval, it was upgraded to a national economic and technological development zone, aiming to build Ya'an into an industrial hub and future city. Ya'an Development Zone covers a planned area of 30.28 square kilometers, with a built-up area of 12.21 square kilometers. The zone houses 526 enterprises (70 above designated size), including 109 industrial enterprises (46 above designated size), and 417 service enterprises (24 above designated size). Ya'an Development Zone operates under county-level management, governing Yongxing Sub-district, which includes 2 communities and 9 villages with a population of approximately 60,000.

In recent years, Ya'an Development Zone has firmly upheld the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It has thoroughly implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, as well as the resolutions of the 12th CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the Fifth CPC Ya'an Municipal Committee. Adhering closely to the decisions and deployments of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Sichuan Province, the CPC Ya'an Municipal Committee, and the Ya'an Municipal People's Government, the zone has steadfastly pursued green development and ecological prioritization. It has deeply implemented the development strategy of "leadership of one zone and one destination, linkage of two axes and three circles, key breakthroughs in county areas, and coordinated regional revitalization," making every effort to promote projects and industries to drive development. The economic operation has shown steady progress and the zone's leading role continues to strengthen. It has been recognized as an outstanding development zone in Sichuan Province, an advanced collective in Sichuan's strategy for revitalizing and strengthening the province through industrial prosperity and manufacturing development, and a provincial base for foreign trade (lithium battery materials) transformation and upgrading. It was the only development zone in Sichuan selected as a pilot area for digital and green collaborative transformation and development in the province. In 2023, Ya'an Development Zone participated for the first time in the evaluation of the comprehensive development level of national economic and technological development zones. Among 230 national development zones across the country, 50 in western China, and 10 in Sichuan, Ya'an Development Zone ranked 55th nationally, 8th in western China, and 4th in Sichuan.

Ya'an Development Zone boasts unique transportation and location advantages. With convenient transportation, Ya'an Development Zone witnesses the convergence of the Chengdu-Ya'an Expressway, Ya'an-Xichang Expressway, and Ya'an-Leshan Expressway, with Sichuan-Tibet Railway passing through. It is 90 kilometers from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and 110 kilometers from Leshan Port. The People's Government of Sichuan Province has identified it as a comprehensive transportation hub in western Sichuan and an important node urban development zone in the Development Plan of Sichuan Province for Development Zones (2023-2027). With the commencement of the Ya'an-Nyingchi Section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, Ya'an will become a crucial link for economic and cultural exchanges between the Chengdu-Chongqing region and Tibetan-inhabited areas, and a crucial node on the southward international trade route from Tibet to South Asian subcontinent countries, further enhancing its status as a gateway hub in western Sichuan.

The zone has seen accelerated agglomeration of characteristic industries. It has implemented Sichuan's strategy for revitalizing and strengthening the province through industrial prosperity and manufacturing development, focusing on nurturing and enhancing emerging industries while upgrading traditional industries. It has made every effort to establish a green, low-carbon industrial cluster that is driven by the digital economy, advanced materials, and equipment manufacturing, and supported by modern logistics. Ya'an Development Zone is at the forefront of green computing power, with the China Ya'an Big Data Industrial Park becoming China's first carbon-neutral green data center. It has received a series of honors, including being designated as a National Demonstration Base for New Industrialization. The zone successfully hosted the 10th China Internet Audio &Video Convention (Ya'an Sub-venue) and the 6th Big Data Application and Practice Conference. Its digital infrastructure capability ranks among the top in the province according to the evaluation results, and "China Yacloud" has emerged as a prominent brand in the industry. In 2023, the big data industry's revenue reached RMB 5.23 billion, marking a 9.7% year-on-year increase. The lithium battery new materials industry is expanding its supply chain, having successfully established a provincial-level chemical park. A preliminary lithium battery industrial chain throughout the entire lifecycle has been formed, encompassing "lithium ore, high-end lithium salts, lithium battery materials, lithium batteries, and recycling." Production capacities for battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium iron phosphate materials have been developed, along with projects for comprehensive utilization of lithium batteries. Moreover, the zone has been recognized as a model platform for lithium battery foreign trade by the Ministry of Commerce and has been designated as a provincial base for foreign trade transformation and upgrading. In 2023, the advanced materials industry's output value was RMB 18.9 billion, up 11.5% year-on-year. Additionally, the zone is accelerating its efforts in upgrading the equipment manufacturing industry. It has established China's largest production base for microcar rear drive axles and the largest production base for spiral bevel gears in Asia. It is able to produce certain components of new energy vehicles, new energy buses, and internationally advanced isostatic presses. In 2023, the equipment manufacturing industry's output value reached RMB 4.4 billion, a 5.4% increase year-on-year. The modern logistics industry has begun to take shape, with a layout covering a 6-square-kilometer functional area for modern logistics. Plans are underway to construct the Sichuan-Tibet Logistics (Trade) Industrial Park. In the second half of this year, several key projects, including the Sichuan-Tibet Oil and Gas Emergency Strategic Reserve Center and the Multimodal Transport Distribution Center, will be implemented. There is a focus on developing logistics distribution, strategic reserves, and railway equipment manufacturing industries in the Sichuan-Tibet region, aiming to build a Sichuan-Tibet land port-type logistics hub and a comprehensive logistics center.

Scientific and technological innovation has been actively promoted. The zone has facilitated the progressive development of technology-based SMEs, specialized and sophisticated enterprises that produce new and unique products, and high-tech enterprises. It is home to 35 high-tech enterprises and specialized and sophisticated enterprises that produce new and unique products, including 12 national high-tech enterprises, 3 national specialized and sophisticated "little giants" that produce new and unique products, 11 provincial enterprise technology centers, and 2 provincial engineering technology research centers. It has advanced innovation incubation and regional cooperation through collaborative innovation incubation mechanisms like "enclave + platform" and "store + factory". Collaborating with Sichuan Development and Beijing iSoftStone, it has established the Ya'an Headquarters Base for Regional Coordinated Development and the Ya'an New Economy Innovation Center, aiming to create an incubator for technology-based enterprises.

The future new city is set to thrive. In conjunction with the city's overall land spatial planning, the Detailed Spatial Planning for the Economic Development Zone is being advanced to promote the shared public services in Yucheng District, Mingshan District and Ya'an Development Zone. The zone is implementing several public service infrastructure projects, including cultural and sports facilities for the New Economy Innovation Center, and upgrading the infrastructure and public services in Yongxingchang Town. The initiatives for "smart parks" and "safe communities" are being deepened, with public transportation covering the main road network. Yayun Lake Cultural Park, Binhe Park, and other urban public ecological spaces have been completed and put into operation, with accelerated efforts in the enhancement of comprehensive urban services.

The systems and mechanisms have been continuously optimized. In line with the principle of flat management and a super-ministry system, Ya'an Development Zone comprises nine departments and five service centers. Nine municipal-level departments, including public security, planning and natural resources, and ecological environment, have set up branch offices here. An efficient operational model of "Management Committee + Platform Company" has been established. The zone has deepened the reform of moderately separating economic zones from administrative regions, and implemented pilot integrated reforms. It has undertaken 61 municipal-level authorized matters, reduced the average project approval time by 70% compared to the legal limit, and successfully established a provincial demonstration government service center for industrial parks.