Western China's growing appeal on show at int'l trade fair in Chongqing

Global business leaders have expressed strong confidence in western China's development potential at the ongoing Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Chongqing, where opening-day deals exceeded 200 billion yuan (about 27.8 billion U.S. dollars).

Anita Wei, vice president of external affairs at Danaher China, a multinational specializing in life sciences and health care, emphasized her company's commitment to the region during its debut appearance at the fair.

"Western China holds tremendous potential with its huge market and population, and rich health care resources," Wei said, adding that Chongqing's supportive policies for biopharmaceutical innovation provide particularly strong incentives for her company's business.

According to the fair's organizing committee, over 1,300 enterprises from 39 countries and regions are attending the event. Manufacturing and modern services industries have accounted for over 75 percent of all projects that have already been contracted at the fair.

Zheng Fu, senior vice president of GLP China, a multinational focused on the logistics, AI, computing and energy sectors, noted that his company now directs about half of its new investments in China to the country's central and western regions.

"Chongqing's efficient governance and favorable business environment make it an ideal hub," Zheng said, highlighting its 20-billion-yuan investment in green energy projects across Chongqing's Yunyang and Shizhu counties.

Zheng added that Chongqing also serves as a hub linking Southeast Asian and European markets through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

The trade corridor now reaches 563 ports in 127 countries and regions, handling over 1,250 product categories. In the first quarter of 2025, it facilitated trade totaling over 200 billion yuan in value, which was up 10 percent year on year.

Wang Qiang, vice president of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, which established a Chongqing factory in 2012, also believes that the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone has become an important growth pole in China that offers significant market opportunities. ■