Chongqing Breaks Through "Kui Gate" to Forge an Inland Open Comprehensive Hub

Chongqing, China – Nestled at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Chongqing has long drawn inspiration from the local saying, "Only by breaking through Kui Gate can one become a dragon." In the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the city is turning this aspiration into reality through deepening reform, high-quality development and enhanced opening-up, building itself into an important strategic pillar for western China’s development and a national inland open comprehensive hub.

Accelerating Interconnection via Reform

Following the requirements of the 15th Five-Year Plan outline that prioritizes "promoting reform and development through opening up," Chongqing has accelerated the efficient connection of domestic and international markets.

At Yuzui Station of Guoyuan Port in Liangjiang New Area, the first new energy vehicle (NEV) special train of Chongqing-Guangzhou iron-sea intermodal transport departed recently, carrying 108 "Chongqing-made" vehicles to Guangzhou Nansha Port for onward shipment to overseas markets. "We have established a new regulatory mutual recognition model between Chongqing and Guangdong, realizing 'inspection by container and inspection by vessel,'" said Fang Kun, deputy general manager of Chongqing-Yuegang Port & Railway International Logistics Co., Ltd. "This has improved overall logistics efficiency by approximately 20% and reduced costs by around 25%." The Chongqing-Guangzhou intermodal train, cooperating with over 10 major global shipping companies, empowers inland enterprises to go global through "one-time commission, one single document at the bottom."

The city has also strengthened institutional support. The Chongqing Higher People’s Court has led the establishment of a "13+2" inter-provincial judicial cooperation mechanism for the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), providing a solid legal guarantee for enterprises.

Looking ahead, Chongqing will accelerate pilots in transportation, customs clearance, finance and dispute resolution, and launch more regular "integrated express lines," including the "ASEAN Express" from Southeast Asia via Chongqing to Europe and "door-to-warehouse" short-haul services at Chongqing Highway Logistics Base. "These lines integrate not only transportation capacity but also policies," said Wang Shanli, deputy director of Chongqing Municipal Port and Logistics Office.

Driving High-Quality Development

Chongqing has achieved remarkable results in promoting high-quality development to better drive the international cycle through the domestic cycle.

Data shows that by the end of 2025, the China Europe Railway (Chengdu-Chongqing) had operated over 38,000 trains in total; the ILSTC had reached 590 ports in 127 countries and regions; and for the first time, a 10,000-ton ocean-going vessel had directly sailed from Chongqing to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port via the ancient Kui Gate. In 2025, the export value of goods via the ILSTC reached 41.36 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 144.9%, with exports of the "new three categories" (NEVs, photovoltaic products and lithium batteries) surging by 332.9% year-on-year.

The opening-up has also boosted the development of competitive industrial systems. Changan Automobile is actively expanding its global layout. "We strive to increase the localization rate of the supply chain in our Rayong factory in Thailand to over 70% in the next three years," said Deng Zhitao, general manager of Changan Automobile Southeast Asia Division. In 2025, Changan’s overseas sales reached 637,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 18.9%.

Optimizing the Open Environment

To further enhance its opening-up level, Chongqing has continuously optimized the open environment and service scenarios.

For enterprises "going global," favorable policies have been introduced. Xiao Hong, person in charge of the Sales Support Department of Chongqing Shenchi Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd., calculated that the company received over 93 million yuan in export tax rebates in 2025, with an average rebate period of only 2.5 days. Supported by the digital ILSTC, Chongqing will continue to improve the comprehensive "integration of trade, logistics and finance" service platform.

For foreign investors "coming in," Chongqing has made remarkable progress in building an international consumption environment. By the end of 2025, the city had been selected as a pilot city for the construction of new consumption formats, models and scenarios as well as an international consumption environment. The coverage of foreign card POS machines in key areas such as Jiefangbei and Hongyadong had reached 98%, and over 120,000 merchants had access to overseas versions of Alipay and WeChat Pay. The number of overseas tourists receiving tax rebates increased by approximately four times year-on-year in 2025.

Yuan Jiajun, Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, stated that Chongqing will fully implement the important instructions of the central leadership during its inspection in Chongqing and the spirit of the Two Sessions. It will focus on building landmark achievements in the construction of an inland open comprehensive hub, accelerate the transformation of Chongqing’s opening-up pattern from platform construction and channel connection to expanding institutional opening-up and enhancing the comprehensive efficiency of the hub, and strive to achieve a good start for the 15th Five-Year Plan.

With firm confidence, Chongqing is breaking through "Kui Gate" and opening a new horizon of reform and development.