Jianyang in strong drive to push frontier industries in Chengdu

Jianyang, a city under the administration of Chengdu in Sichuan province, has been attaching greater importance to frontier industries such as high-end manufacturing, green and low-carbon plants and aerospace to support the quality development of Chengdu.

The construction of 39 key projects in Jianyang, with a total investment of 14.86 billion yuan ($2.09 billion), covering industries such as big data and bolstering well-being, broke ground on Oct 1.

The development of the Leon Cloud Data No 1 Base, an investment by Leon Technology, began on the same day. The project will support Jianyang in playing a bigger role in the construction of the Chengdu Data Center Cluster, officials said.

The central government approved the construction of eight national computing hubs and 10 national data center clusters in February to channel more computing resources from its eastern regions to less developed but resource-rich western areas. The Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle is one of eight such hubs in this project.

Apart from supporting the development of the computing sector in Chengdu, Jianyang also identifies upgrading the equipment manufacturing industry as another way to support Chengdu in the long run.

Sichuan Air Separation Group is a national-level high-tech company specializing in the development of cryogenic technologies. It independently developed technologies for super-large air separation, large-scale natural gas liquefaction, liquefied natural gas cold energy utilization, low-purity oxygen air separation and rare gas refining. It is a key player in the machinery industry in China and home to a research and production facility for cryogenic equipment.

"Our investment in research and development has risen in recent years with an average annual growth rate higher than 10 percent. We invested 50 million yuan in R&D between 2021 and 2022, which has helped us to secure more than 100 million yuan in orders," said Xie Bo, deputy general manager of Sichuan Air Separation Group. "We have made breakthroughs in bottleneck problems and set a solid foundation for our growth in the long run."

Sichuan Air Separation Group recorded 3.13 billion yuan in sales revenue by the end of June, up 37.2 percent year-on-year. Net profit increased 17.3 percent year-on-year to 223 million yuan.

Jianyang, which has ramped up efforts to attract enterprises in smart manufacturing, commercial aerospace and new materials to support overall industrial upgrade in the region, has seen an influx of leading players in frontier industries.

The city is home to 44 smart manufacturers including Sichuan Dachuan Compressor and healthcare products developer Gangt. In the commercial aerospace sector, leading companies such as Galactic Energy, Beijing Star Time Telecommunications Technology and Changzheng Engineering have launched projects in Jianyang.

The city has also accelerated the construction of a testing platform for rocket launches and a platform for commercial satellite assembly, integration and testing. An industrial chain for rocket launches and technology applications is emerging in Jianyang.

The Chengdu Aerospace Industrial Function Area, located in Jianyang, is expanding with a focus on new materials, carbon neutrality, commercial aviation and space flights.

Zhou Lijing, director of the development office at Chengdu Aerospace Industrial Function Area, said five green construction companies including China MCC5 Group Corp have set up operations in the area.

MCC Communications Shanzhu, a subsidiary of MCC5, began operations in 2019 and has reported breakthroughs in smart production, automation and sustainable development.

Green construction material producers in the area, each with an annual industrial output value of 20 million yuan, recorded 4.9 billion yuan in industrial output value in 2021. The industrial area will welcome 12 green and low-carbon projects in 2022 with a total investment of 16.55 billion yuan.

Zhou said the area will continue to expand industrial chains for green buildings, new energy equipment and big data. The Jianyang government also plans to launch support policies for green and low-carbon businesses.

Jianyang Airport Economic Industrial Park is another pillar of the city which serves e-commerce platform vip.com and logistics giants Sto Express, Yunda Express and Zto Express. As a new engine for future development, the industrial park aims at a hub for high-end businesses and corporate headquarters. A total of 52 projects were attracted to the industrial park with contracted investment of 73.2 billion yuan.

The industrial park will partner with universities such as Tsinghua University and Southwest Jiaotong University to further embrace innovation.

Jianyang has stood out for global investors despite market uncertainties in 2022. It has vowed to further enhance the business environment and strengthen communication with enterprises.

Service capacity of e-government has been improved to ensure businesses can access all government services through a single portal. With the upgraded government service system, enterprises only need to visit a government service center once for business matters, applications could be submitted online and uncomplicated matters could be processed immediately.

It will continue to support industrial chains expansion and modern industrial system development to play a more significant role in supporting the development of Chengdu.