In 2021, the regional GDP of Chengdu metropolitan area reached 2,501.19 billion yuan, an increase of 8.6% over the previous year, which is 0.4 percentage points higher than the average of the province; accounting for 46.4% of that of the province, which is 0.4 percentage points higher than last year; accounting for 33.8% of that of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than last year, according to an analysis of data released by Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Statistics on March 9.
    As the center has improved its capacity and played a prominent role of driving surrounding cities, Chengdu metropolitan area has made new breakthroughs in the level of development, and secured per capita GDP of 13,000 U.S. dollars, surpassing 80,000 yuan, which has reached the level of middle-income regions in the world.
    The analysis showed that a collaborative industrial circle for common prosperity, an open and cooperative circle of friends, a fast and efficient commuting circle, and a convenient and shared life circle are taking shape in Chengdu metropolitan area.
    Collaborative industrial circle for common prosperity
    According to the Plan for Development of Chengdu Metropolitan Area issued by the People's Government of Sichuan Province, the economic aggregate of Chengdu metropolitan area will exceed 3.3 trillion yuan by 2025. How to achieve the goal? Industrial collaboration for common prosperity holds the key.
    Relying on the "three zones and three belts", Chengdu metropolitan area strengthens industrial collaboration, takes action to build an industrial circle with stronger chains, and integrates trans-regional industrial ecosystems and key industrial chains such as electronic information, medicine and health.
    High-quality development of the manufacturing industry has been accelerated. In 2021, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size in Chengdu metropolitan area increased by 11.1% over the previous year, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than that in the province; the added value of the manufacturing industry was 549.52 billion yuan, up 9.6%.
    The modern service industry is growing. The added value of the service sector in Chengdu metropolitan area was 1,548.79 billion yuan, accounting for 54.8% of that in the whole province, and up 9%, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than that in the whole province.
    Industrial development has great momentum. The industrial investment in Chengdu metropolitan area increased by 11.9%, which is 2.2 percentage points higher than that in the whole province.
    Open and cooperative circle of friends
    As an important intersection of the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, how will Chengdu metropolitan area open wider?
    On the one hand, Chengdu metropolitan area actively serves and integrates into the new development pattern, speeds up the development of an international consumption center city, and vigorously promotes the upgrading of consumption models, types and scenarios. Data from Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Statistics showed that in 2021, the retail sales of consumer goods in Chengdu metropolitan area reached 1,133.68 billion yuan, accounting for 47% and 32.8% of the province and Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle respectively.
    On the other hand, Chengdu metropolitan area is speeding up efforts to build a high-level open platform and improve the level of opening up and cooperation. In 2021, Tianfu International Airport was completed and put into operation, and Shuangliu International Airport ranked second in China in terms of passenger throughput; Chengdu International Railway Port and Deyang International Railway Logistics Port of China-Europe Railway Express initially achieved integrated operation, with the number of stops in overseas cities increasing by 10 to 68.
    Fast and efficient commuting circle
    Chengdu metropolitan area has made great efforts to promote infrastructure connectivity, speeded up the development of a metropolitan area on rails, and basically formed a half-hour high-speed railway and one-hour expressway commuting circle.
    The density of the high-efficiency transportation network has been increased, the Ring Express of Chengdu Metropolitan Area has been opened to traffic, and the projects to connect intercity dead-end roads have been accelerated. The use of bullet trains has been promoted in public transportation, with 120 pairs of ones running every day during the minimum average running time of 23 minutes in the metropolitan area. The integration of transportation services has been continuously deepened, with the stable operation of 10 cross-city buses routes. Tianfutong enables the residents to share preferential treatment in public transportation with a single card in the metropolitan area.
    Convenient and shared life circle
    In terms of education, Chengdu metropolitan area has coordinated the allocation of education resources across the cities and promoted the development of "education + Internet". Chengdu's high-quality online education resources are available in nearly 150 schools in Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang.
    In terms of medical services, a catchall card is used for cross-regional and cross-institutional medical services, accelerating the development of medical alliances and the sharing of medical resources. In terms of social security, a network of medical settlement services in cities away from home has been expanded. Chengdu metropolitan area has become the first in the country to transfer employees' medical insurance accounts across the cities in a one-stop way, and pioneered the policy of using housing provident fund loans across the cities in a metropolitan area. In terms of culture and sports, Tianfu cultural brands such as Sanxingdui and giant pandas have been jointly developed, library literature has been lent and returned across the cities, and unified planning and development of sports events and outdoor sports resources has been strengthened. In terms of government services, the cities jointly issued the declaration on the business environment in the metropolitan area, which proposed that 100 high-demand government services should generally be provided without discrimination on an intercity basis.