Cuntan International New City of Liangjiang New Area, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Over the last year, the New Western Land-Sea Corridor that departed from Chongqing has expanded to reach 490 ports in 120 countries. The variety of transported goods has also expanded to over 1,100 types, while the total value of transported goods increased by 16 percent year-on-year.

Chongqing, aiming to become an international communication hub in West China, officially proposed this initiative in October 2019. Since then, this western inland city has gradually transformed into a modern international metropolis.

In the last three years, Chongqing's total imports and exports have reached a stunning 1.8 trillion yuan ($253.8 billion). The number of Fortune 500 companies having settled in the municipality has reached 319, and more than 300 local enterprises have established businesses overseas.

In the last three years, Chongqing has hosted 23 large-scale international conferences. In 2023, over 115 important foreign guests at or above the vice-ministerial level, as well as more than 70 diplomatic envoys visited Chongqing, reaching a series of substantive agreements. Chongqing boasts 180 friendly cities and friendly exchange cities, and is operating more than 80 international flight routes, with over 300 flights per week, providing high-frequency connections to political and economic centers in Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Africa, and Asia.

In recent years, Chongqing has developed several platforms for international cooperation, such as the China and South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Center and the Chongqing Rural Vitalization Global Cooperation Demonstration Site, setting up 16 regional research centers for specific countries.