On June 29, the Fifth Session of Chongqing-Sichuan Party and Government Joint Meeting for Promoting Construction of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle was held in Chongqing. Chen Min'er, Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, presided over and addressed the session, and Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, attended the session and delivered a speech. Hu Henghua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, and Huang Qiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, made a report respectively. The session was also attended by Wang Jiong, Chairman of the CPPCC Chongqing Municipal Committee, and Tian Xiangli, Chairman of the CPPCC Sichuan Provincial Committee.

Chen Min'er said in his speech that promoting the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle is a major measure of the CPC Central Committee to build a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, and full of the earnest expectations of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee for Sichuan and Chongqing. Over the past two years, we have thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on promoting the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, and consciously assumed the major political responsibility of implementing the national strategic arrangements. The construction of the economic circle has got off to a solid and promising start. We have reached a high-level strategic consensus, established a good working mechanism, and developed a number of planning achievements, cooperation platforms, co-construction projects and cross-provincial policies that bring the people a sense of gain. The construction of the economic circle has achieved remarkable results. Sichuan's good ideas, experience and practices in seeking development and working hard are worth learning from for Chongqing. We are particularly inspired by the scientific, accurate, practical and effective arrangements for the economic circle construction at the 12th Sichuan Provincial Congress of the CPC. Chongqing further carries out General Secretary Xi Jinping's earnest instructions, and follows the plans and requirements of the Sixth Chongqing Municipal Congress of the CPC. We strive to write a new chapter in promoting high-quality development and creating a high-quality life, in building an inland opening-up hub and a picturesque city with cultural appeal, and in developing Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. To jointly develop the economic circle, our two cities need to concentrate on running our own affairs well and make concerted efforts in cooperation. While enhancing our Four Consciousnesses and bolstering our Four-sphere Confidence, we must firmly uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position in both the CPC Central Committee and the CPC as a whole, and the CPC Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We must ground ourselves in a new stage of development, implement the new development philosophy, and integrate ourselves into the new development pattern. Focusing on the strategic positioning of "two centers and two places", we will continue to deepen all-round collaboration in various fields, and move faster to build a model of high-level regional cooperation. We will work together to support the development of China's western region in the new era, drive the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, play an exemplary role in promoting green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and set the stage for the 20th National Congress of the CPC with concrete actions. 

Chen stressed the need to further strengthen the synergy and the driving force of the two core cities, improve the cooperation mechanism, deepen development coordination, promote connectivity in transport infrastructure, modern industrial systems, scientific and technological innovation resources, urban service functions, and social public policies, and usher in a new stage featuring the leading role of the two cores and regional interconnection. It is necessary to further strengthen the cooperation and co-construction in adjacent areas. Centering on the coordinated development of central Chengdu-Chongqing region, the integrated development of northeast Chongqing and Sichuan, and the synergetic development of southern Sichuan and western Chongqing, we should strengthen the development of key functional platforms, promote coordinated development across the board through cooperation between adjacent areas, and jointly plan to build a number of high-level cooperation demonstration zones to promote interaction between the two metropolitan areas and coordination between the two wings. We will further strengthen the traction of major investment projects, increase efforts to ensure steady investment in projects, accelerate the progress of projects under construction, effectively carry out the preliminary work of projects, strengthen the reserve of major projects, and drive the high-quality development of the economic circle with the investment in high-level projects. We should further strengthen reform and opening up, actively serve the development of a unified national market, work together to build the outbound corridors, such as the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and China Railway Express (Chengdu & Chongqing), deepen joint efforts in construction and governance of environmental protection, and speed up the development of inland highlands of reform and opening up. 

Wang Xiaohui said in his speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee attach great importance to the development of Sichuan and Chongqing, and have entrusted our two cities with the important historical mission to promote the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. During his inspection tour of Sichuan Province not long ago, the General Secretary gave field guidance to Meishan, an important node city in Chengdu metropolitan area, and Yibin, an important central city in the southern wing of the economic circle, fully affirmed the achievements in the construction of the economic circle, and put forward clear requirements for the next step. This is of great significance for Sichuan and Chongqing to better plan and promote the implementation of the national strategy at a new starting point, make concerted efforts to build the economic circle, work together to create a new model of regional cooperation in the new era, and make greater contribution to China's overall development. It is a common political responsibility of Sichuan and Chongqing to promote the implementation of the national strategy of building Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. Over the past two years, we have worked closely together and moved in the same direction. By speeding up our efforts, we have brought many tangible gratifying changes in development trend, innovation momentum, opening up, and integration and connectivity. Such changes have been made in the context of evolving international environment, resurgent domestic COVID-19 cases, and increased pressure on macroeconomy. The hard-won results fully confirm the farsightedness of the strategic decisions the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping have made, lifting our confidence and injecting impetus to the more solid implementation of the national strategy. Sichuan should carefully draw on Chongqing's good practices and experience in developing the economic circle. 

Wang Xiaohui said that on the new journey, the strategic considerations, basic ideas and work requirements of Sichuan and Chongqing for promoting the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle are highly consistent, demonstrating the two places' readiness and desire to promote the modernization and greater development in the region by jointly serving the national strategy. We will certainly accelerate efforts and foster strong synergy to boost the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in an all-round way. We hope that Sichuan and Chongqing can give full play to the multi-level cooperation mechanism, improve the role of downtown Chengdu and Chongqing as the core, and promote Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to become a new highland for regional development and a new fulcrum for opening up in China. We will jointly promote regional market integration, implement the "unified standard for market access in different places", advance the integration of tax collection and administration, make China Railway Express (Chengdu & Chongqing) a well-known brand, build a demonstration zone for collaborative opening up of pilot free trade zones in Sichuan and Chongqing, promote the coordinated development of industries, strengthen collaborative innovation, jointly build the Western Financial Center, and better integrate ourselves into and serve the unified national market. We will jointly build an interconnected comprehensive transport network, and step up efforts in the construction of major projects such as railways, highways, aviation and shipping, so as to further ensure smooth transportation on trunk lines and micro-circulation of urban traffic. We will jointly implement the policy of promoting well-coordinated environmental conservation and avoiding excessive development, and focus on ecological governance and control, transboundary pollution control, green transformation, and building environment-friendly and beautiful homes. We will strive to build an influential clean energy corridor along the Yangtze River in China and a green development axis of ecological economy in the Yangtze River basin, and work together to build a solid eco-security shield in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. We will jointly promote the co-construction and sharing of public services, continue to promote the equal access to and facilitation of public services, engage more places in the Sichuan-Chongqing cross-regional government services, develop overall plans to promote the coordinated development within and outside the economic circle, further narrow the urban-rural development gap, and address the concerns of the people, in a bid to ensure that the people have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. 

At the session, Hu Henghua reported the progress in Chongqing's socio-economic development and the construction of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, and Huang Qiang reported the progress in Sichuan's socio-economic development and the key projects for the joint construction of the economic circle. The attendees were briefed on the Collaborative Implementation Plan for High-quality Development of Characteristic Consumer Product Industry in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, the Collaborative Action Plan for Green and Low-carbon High-quality Development of Energy Sources in Sichuan and Chongqing, Several Policies and Measures for Supporting the Sound Development of Market Entities in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, and the Implementation Plan of Chengdu and Chongqing for Jointly Building the Belt and Road Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone. The Working Mechanism of Chengdu-Chongqing Leading Group on Co-construction of Western Financial Center was reviewed at the meeting. In addition, the Progress in the Reform of Appropriately Separating Economic Zones from Administrative Zones in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, and the Progress in the Action of Ensuring Convenient Living in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle were reported. 

Before the session, Sichuan and Chongqing held the Launching Ceremony for Major Events of Jointly Building Bashu Culture and Tourism Corridor in Chongqing. Chen Min'er, Wang Xiaohui, Hu Henghua, Huang Qiang, Wang Jiong, and Tian Xiangli attended the ceremony. They were briefed on the Plan for Building Bashu Culture and Tourism Corridor and the campaign of Sichuan and Chongqing, a Close-knit Family — Public-interest Tourism. They watched the performances of the premium programs at the Fifth Sichuan Opera Festival. Amid loud applause, Chen Min'er, Wang Xiaohui, Hu Henghua and Huang Qiang launched the major co-construction events together. 

In Chongqing, Sichuan provincial Party and government delegation also visited Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery, Guangyang Island and Chang'an Auto Global R&D Center, where they were informed of Chongqing's overall planning, the changes and upgrading of the city along the two rivers with four banks, jointly building a solid eco-security shield in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and the R&D and manufacturing base of the high-level automobile industry. 

Other attendees included officials of Chongqing Li Mingqing, Lu Kehua, Jiang Hui, Zhang Hongxing, Yu Huiwen, Luo Lin, Wu Cunrong, Xiong Xue, and Zheng Xiangdong, officials of Sichuan Province Shi Xiaolin, Li Yunze, Cao Lijun, Chen Wei, Zheng Li, Wang Ning, and Luo Qiang, heads of relevant departments and localities of Sichuan and Chongqing, as well as heads of the offices of some central agencies in Sichuan.