The National Guangan Economic and Technological Development Zone (referred to as "Guangan Development Zone" or the "zone") is located northeast of the main urban area of Guang'an. In June 2010, it was upgraded to a national economic and technological development zone with the approval of the State Council. In October 2012, it was elevated to a deputy department-level unit by the State Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform (SCOPSR). In January 2013, the Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform under the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee designated the Management Committee of Guangan Economic and Technological Development Zone as a provincial government agency to be managed by the Guang'an Municipal People's Government. In April 2013, to support the multi-point and multi-polar development strategy, the CPC Guang'an Municipal Committee and the Guang'an Municipal People's Government clarified that Kuige Sub-district, Hu'an Town, and Xinqiao Township (now Xinqiao Sub-district) were managed under the jurisdiction of Guangan Development Zone. On July 18, 2022, to enhance the "core area" of Guangan Development Zone and foster complementary advantages, the CPC Guang'an Municipal Committee and the Guang'an Municipal People's Government designated the Zaoshan Industrial Park (now the Zaoshan Industrial Park Management Committee) under the jurisdiction of the zone.
The core area of Guangan Development Zone spans 204.46 square kilometers and has a population of 152,000. It has planned and constructed the Xinqiao Industrial Park, Kuige (Hu'an) Area, and Zaoshan Industrial Park. The Xinqiao Industrial Park, located 13 kilometers from the main urban area of Guang'an, covers 60 square kilometers. Leveraging Guang'an's resources, it focuses on the RMB 50-billion-level green chemical industry, RMB 20 billion-level green building materials, and RMB 10 billion-level advanced materials, hosting over 70 enterprises like Chengxin Chemical, Ko Yo Chemical, Lier Chemical, Woye Biotechnology, Xianyida Agrochemical, MOJIABIO and Sangyuan Biotech. The Kuige (Hu'an) Area is planned to cover an area of 50 square kilometers, adjacent to Qujiang River on three sides. With an emphasis on the main urban areas of Guang'an, it mainly gives full play to the advantages of riverside and industrial incubation, promotes the integrated development of industry and city, and focuses on the development of the RMB 10-billion-level high-end equipment manufacturing industry and RMB 10-billion-level new generation information technology industry. Additionally, it vigorously develops modern service industries such as headquarters economy and financial science and technology innovation. Now it has attracted a group of high-quality projects, including Super Poly Battery, Huage Tech, Yuming Photoelectric Technology, Huatai Kuige Hospital, No. 9 Experiment Middle School Attached to Sichuan Normal University, and Medical School of Guang'an Vocational &Technical College. A park within the zone, Guang'an (Shenzhen) Industrial Park, serves as an important platform for the extension of eastern coastal industries and the co-construction and sharing between eastern and western industrial parks. The Zaoshan Industrial Park, west of the main urban area of Guang'an, spans 94.46 square kilometers. The new urban area features city-industry integration and improved infrastructure, focusing on modern logistics, commerce and trade, and modern emerging service industries. More than 30 logistics enterprises have settled here, and 14 large professional markets such as Home Magic and Red Star Macalline have been built. Moreover, the Pinxin Automobile Industrial Park and six automotive trade centers have been established for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, AUDI AG, and other brands.
Guangan Development Zone is the first national economic and technological development zone in the hinterland around Chongqing, serving as the core area of the Sichuan-Chongqing cooperation demonstration zone, a demonstration base for new industrialization in Sichuan Province, and a key RMB 100-billion-level industrial park. It is also a national pilot zone for circular transformation, a national key park for agrochemical production capacity, one of the first provincial chemical industry parks identified by Sichuan Province, an energy and chemical industry base in northeast Sichuan, a fine chemical engineering base integrating gas and salt resources, a demonstration base for new industrialized industries, and a base for foreign trade transformation and upgrading at the national and provincial levels. In 2021, it ranked 68th among 217 national economic and technological development zones evaluated nationwide and 3rd among 8 national zones in Sichuan Province, rising 3 and 2 places, respectively, from the previous year.