By 2025, Chengdu has repeatedly emerged as a focal point on China's urban map—from *Nezha 2* becoming the highest-grossing animated film in global history to locally developed "national heavyweights" debuting at the September 3rd military parade, showcasing a balance of soft power and hard technology. From hosting "the best World Games in history" to welcoming a steady stream of international dignitaries, Chengdu is increasingly becoming a key window for the world to witness Chinese modernization. These frequent headlines may seem coincidental, but they are the result of years of quiet yet steady progress.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chengdu's economy crossed critical thresholds, becoming the third sub-provincial city in China with GDP exceeding 2 trillion yuan and the second provincial capital with total retail sales surpassing 1 trillion yuan. In the first three quarters of this year, Chengdu's GDP reached 1.82269 trillion yuan, growing at 5.8% year-on-year—the fastest among China's top 10 cities by GDP and second among sub-provincial cities. While these achievements are hard-won, Chengdu recognizes that urban competition is relentless, and five to ten years can reshape the urban hierarchy.

As the 15th Five-Year Plan approaches, how will Chengdu advance and stand out? On December 9, the 8th Plenary Session of the 14th Chengdu Municipal Party Committee proposed a vision to accelerate the city's transformation into a globally influential and renowned socialist modern international metropolis. This "ultimate goal for Chengdu" requires thinking beyond the city itself—beyond western China—and positioning Chengdu nationally and globally to attract resources and achieve both quantitative and qualitative growth. In the fierce race among cities, Chengdu aims to sprint ahead.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan recommendations explicitly call for elevating the development capacity of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone. Over the past five years, this dual-city economic circle has grown rapidly, emerging as China's "fourth pole" of regional development. From 2020 to 2024, its GDP surged past two trillion-yuan milestones to 8.7 trillion yuan, increasing its share of the national economy from 6.3% to 6.5%. The "twin cores" of Chengdu and Chongqing metropolitan areas now contribute over 34% and 30% of the zone's GDP, with economic outputs exceeding 2.9 trillion yuan and 2.6 trillion yuan, respectively. This reflects the synchronized rise of central cities and regional development.

To better fulfill its national role and lead regional growth, Chengdu must break free from western constraints and basin mentality, adopting a strategic vision befitting a modern international metropolis. Leveraging national strategies to strengthen urban capabilities, Chengdu aims to exceed 3.2 trillion yuan in GDP during the 15th Five-Year Plan period—adding another trillion yuan in five years. "This aligns with provincial support for Chengdu to enhance its core functions and meets the city's practical needs," said He Xun, Director of Chengdu's Development and Reform Commission. He noted that maintaining an average annual GDP growth of around 5% is feasible, with this year's growth projected at 5.7%–5.8%.

Where will this momentum come from? Chengdu plans to deepen the integration of scientific and industrial innovation, boosting the competitiveness of its modern industrial system to make innovation its defining feature and strongest engine. Recent years have seen Chengdu refine its "online Sci-Tech Exchange + offline Sci-Tech Island" transformation service system, hosting events like "Sci-Tech Tianfu · Smart Chengdu" to create a global marketplace for科技成果交易. By 2024, the city housed over 14,500 high-tech firms and ranked 24th in the Global Innovation Clusters 2025 ranking.

Yet, Ding Xiaobin, Director of Chengdu's Science and Technology Bureau, emphasized the need to further convert innovation resources into competitive advantages. Chengdu will strengthen its role in national strategic科技力量, ensuring efficient operation of existing platforms while争取布局人工智能、低空经济等新兴领域重大平台 under the 15th Five-Year Plan. Precision对接 between科技和产业 will channel more innovations into specific sectors, solidifying Chengdu's industrial foundation for high-quality development.

Amid the AI boom, Zhao Chun'gan, Director of Chengdu's Economy and Informatization Bureau, revealed plans for an "AI+" initiative and industrial innovation projects to深度融合科技创新和产业创新, fostering new productive forces.

At the county level, economic strength is pivotal for balanced regional development. As China's urbanization shifts from rapid expansion to提质增效, counties are becoming new growth drivers. Chengdu's eight county-level cities—Jianyang, Dujiangyan, Pengzhou, Qionglai, Chongzhou, Jintang, Dayi, and Pujiang—occupy two-thirds of the city's area, house a quarter of its population, and contribute one-sixth of its GDP, yet none has crossed the 100-billion-yuan threshold. This highlights developmental imbalances.

However, these counties are now at a critical juncture, with manufacturing "strategic增量" regions collectively冲刺千亿级目标. By 2026, Jianyang aims to become Sichuan's first 100-billion-yuan county; Chongzhou targets "100 billion GDP, 1 million population" by 2029, while Jintang pursues the same economic milestone. Their rise will bolster Chengdu's foundation and strengthen the metropolitan area's mid-section.

In June, Chengdu launched a high-quality development strategy for county-level cities, emphasizing "strong counties, vibrant districts" to create a协同发展格局 of "new urban zones leading, central城区 supporting, and counties breaking through." This systemic upgrade extends to industrial parks, where county competitiveness ultimately hinges on industrial strength. Among Chengdu's eight counties, only Qingbaijiang hosts a national-level economic zone, with most provincial or lower-tier parks lagging in scale and speed.

By 2027, Chengdu plans to elevate its parks' scale and efficiency, building 17 100-billion-yuan and 28 50-billion-yuan parks. "We must leverage local resources to develop特色产业, forming a互补空间格局," said Zhao Chun'gan. Chengdu will deepen its "立园满园" strategy, focusing on 30 specialized parks to achieve full occupancy and production.

As parks' capillaries畅通 and urban zones' industrial capacity grows, more resources will flow to counties, reinforcing Chengdu's core functions and new advantages.

Chengdu's rising strategic prominence and comprehensive strength are amplifying its global visibility. "A truly fulfilling trip leaves you longing for more—that's how I feel now," remarked French President Emmanuel Macron on December 5, concluding his fourth China visit in Chengdu. This year alone, leaders from Australia, Spain, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have also visited, cementing Chengdu's role as a "global meeting ground."

This reflects Chengdu's openness and national使命. As a key对外交往中心, Chengdu is expanding high-level openness to drive high-quality development.

Enhanced枢纽功能 underpins this. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Chengdu added international direct flights, ranking fourth nationally and first in central/western China, with annual passenger throughput expected to exceed 90 million. Improved transport links now connect Chengdu overnight with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Greater Bay Area.

Chengdu also plans to boost its open economy via initiatives like "Chengdu Enterprises & Products Go Global,"自贸试验区提升, and differentiated international合作园区 development. It will deepen global ties,优化友城网络, attracting更多高能级国际会议, exhibitions, and cultural events that enhance influence while generating消费 and economic gains.

For instance, the 2025 ITTF Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu drew global fans, with ticket sales exceeding 50 million yuan. Similarly, the November 9 League of Legends S15 Finals attracted 85% out-of-province viewers,拉动消费270 million yuan.

Industrial strengths are also consolidating. Already a national leader in digital文创, Chengdu aims to become a major cultural创意中心 and digital文创集聚地, advancing in film/animation, gaming/e-sports, creative design, digital music, online literature, and digital文化装备. Notably, this marks the first time digital文创 has been elevated to a city-level development定位.

By the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Chengdu's digital文创 sector is projected to hit 600 billion yuan, emerging as a new growth engine.

With innovation, openness,科技产业支撑, and optimized spatial布局, Chengdu is striving to seize the initiative in modernization—securing advantages and a brighter future.