Chengdu News Autumn 2020
Chengdu Rises to 59th in World Cities Rankings
Chengdu ranks 9thas the world’s second-tier strong city (Beta+) in the most recent 2020 World Cities Rankings released by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC). Chengdu has risen by 7 places since 2018, becoming the only Chinese city to be included in the Beta+ list. Overall, Chengdu is also ranked 59th out of the best cities in the world.
Different from traditional city rankings which focus on GDP aggregate, GaWC ranks world cities based on the distribution of "advanced productive service industry institutions." This can include banking, insurance, law, consulting management, advertising, and accounting. GaWC rankings focus on the leading role and driving capabilities of cities in global activities.
Chengdu - Jakarta Direct Flight Launched
On August 14th,the Chengdu-Jakarta direct flight route was launched. This marks the first international flight route since CAAC introduced the Five One policy, i.e. one airline only operates one route in one country with no more than one flight in one week. The new flight route is operated by Garuda Indonesia Airline and executed by A330, it is scheduled to run a trip per week, with the flying time of around 5 hours.
Cultural Centre in Jiaozi Park Business District to be Unveiled soon
The project is located in Jiaozi Park Financial Business District, Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone. It has a staggering planning area of 19312.56 square meters. The cultural centre of the financial city is primarily divided into east and west sides. The cultural part of the project resides on the west side, specifically the comprehensive cultural centre and art gallery in Zone A. The east side is home to the commercial tower, namely the hotel and office in Zone B.
Chengdu GDP Grows 0.6%
After a 3% contraction of GDP in the first quarter, Chengdu achieved positive GDP growth in the first half of this year. On July 23, Chengdu Bureau of Statistics announced the Chengdu’s GDP aggregate reached 829.863 billion RMB, a year-on-year growth rate of 0.6%.
Chengdu Metro Line 18 phase 1 now open!
Running both above and below the ground, phase I of Line 18 is a relief for people living and working in the south, and other looking to visit Xinglong or Sancha lake. Probably more exciting will the opening of phase 2, expected to be in operation by the end of 2020, connecting Chengdu's urban area with the brand new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport!
NDRC Grants Support to Chengdu-Europe Rail Express.
The National Development and Reform Commission approved China-Europe Rail Express Demonstration Project and allocated 200 million from central budget to support rail hub construction of Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi’an and Urumqi. The five cities, boasting advantageous geographic location, sound infrastructure and well-operated rail express to Europe, will transform from point-to-point to hub-to-hub rail express operation. According to NDRC, a highly efficient system of goods concentration and distribution featuring trunk lines, branch lines and rail hub will be formed.
Chengdu sees 6000 trips by China-Europe freight trains
More good news about Chengdu’s railway, the number of trains operated by China-Europe Rail Express (Chengdu) has reached 6000 as of August 26, the first in China. So far the international rail network with Chengdu as the hub, Europe to the west, Mongolia and Russia to the north, Japan and Korea to the east, the ASEAN to the south, and global land-sea transport system have taken shape. Seven rail routes and six land-sea corridors have connected Chengdu with 55 overseas cities and 16 domestic ones, and are continuously expanding.
