Produced by | Huabo Business Review

In the current urban competition, the business environment has emerged as a crucial 'soft power.' Public data reveals that Chengdu's business entities soared to 3.95 million last year, securing second place among sub-provincial cities. So, what factors precisely make Chengdu such an appealing destination for numerous followers?

Upgrading the Business Environment: Chengdu Makes It 'Effortless'

Behind these impressive figures lies a six-year relay of institutional innovation. Since 2019, Chengdu has established a comprehensive policy framework with annually updated action plans. From the 'Several Measures for Continuously Optimizing the Business Environment and Promoting the High-Quality Development of Enterprises' to the country's first local regulation on the business environment, the 'Chengdu Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment,' the continuous enhancement of the policy toolkit ensures institutional support for unleashing market vitality. In May 2024, Chengdu introduced the '55 Measures to Promote the Development of the Private Economy,' focusing on 'fair competition, digital transformation, and precise services,' systematically addressing the challenges and bottlenecks faced by private enterprises. By adopting negative list management, Chengdu reduced 38 approval items, established a RMB 5 billion digital transformation fund, and pioneered the 'Policy Calculator' intelligent matching system, transitioning from 'enterprises finding policies' to 'policies finding enterprises.'

Moreover, during the third session of the 18th Chengdu Municipal People's Congress on February 26, the Mayor of Chengdu made a solemn commitment to advance joint law enforcement through 'comprehensive inspection once,' implement 'one-code inspection' and off-site supervision, upgrade the policy system for the business environment, forge a distinctive brand of 'responding to needs without unnecessary disturbance,' and serve as the 'family member' to over 3.9 million business entities in the city! Chengdu's business environment optimization extends beyond policies. Led by the Development and Reform Commission, the 'List of Opportunities for Preferential Policies for Enterprises' has established a full-chain service system: the 'Easy Chengdu' platform integrates 287 business-related services, creating a 15-minute government service circle; the innovative 'comprehensive inspection once' joint law enforcement mechanism has reduced the frequency of business-related inspections by 60%; and the industrial matching platform built by the Private Economy Promotion Center has facilitated cooperation on orders exceeding RMB 2 billion. Regularly conducted 'Enter, Resolve, Optimize, and Promote' actions have resolved a total of 25,900 enterprise appeals, with 98% of issues being addressed within 48 hours.

Cost Efficiency and Innovation Hub

Concurrently, Chengdu continues to create a 'cost depression' for business operations through policy innovation and resource integration. In terms of energy costs, the government actively promotes green energy usage. For instance, Yuhu Cold Chain saves over RMB 5 million annually in electricity bills through photovoltaic power generation technology. Chengdu also reduces overall enterprise costs through differentiated land supply policies, flexible employment guarantees, and dynamic minimum wage adjustment mechanisms. Additionally, Chengdu stands out in living costs, living environment, and atmosphere, ranking among the 'Happiest Cities' for 16 consecutive years. This livable and business-friendly environment has become a significant factor in attracting enterprises and talents, further enhancing the innovation and industrial ecosystems.

Innovation is the core driver of industrial development, and Chengdu spares no effort in fostering an innovation ecosystem. As of 2023, Chengdu boasts a talent pool of 6.5077 million, ranking fourth in the country, along with 65 institutions of higher learning, 60 national key disciplines, and 146 national scientific and technological innovation platforms, providing robust support for innovation in terms of talents and platforms. With the acceleration of industrial upgrading and technological change, the innovation ecosystem and industrial chain ecosystem have become integral parts of the business environment. Chengdu recognizes this and has been continuously promoting the 'strengthening, extension, and supplementation' of key industrial chains in recent years, building a comprehensive and robust industrial system. This system encompasses 38 major categories and 184 industry subcategories, featuring 2 trillion-yuan-level and 10 hundred-billion-yuan-level industrial clusters, offering unique industrial ecological advantages for enterprise investment and layout. These orientations and supports signify that Chengdu's overall urban competitiveness will continue to rise, providing broader development horizons for enterprises. The success of the 'Chengdu-made' film 'Nezha 2' exemplifies this, taking five years to complete and drawing over 100 animation enterprises and more than 4,000 technical talents nationwide, highlighting Chengdu's strong appeal and resource allocation capabilities within the industrial and innovation ecosystems.

Furthermore, through precise recruitment of supporting enterprises in the industrial chain, Chengdu introduced a total of 367 major projects for strengthening and supplementing industrial chains in 2024, with a total investment exceeding RMB 520 billion. The completeness of the new display industrial chain reached 73%, and the industrial supporting rate reached 46%. The local supporting rate of vehicle equipment in the rail transit industry increased to over 70%, and the industrial agglomeration effect has become increasingly prominent. Consequently, Chengdu's regional GDP grew by 5.7% last year, with the growth rate also ranking among the top in sub-provincial cities. There is no ultimate business environment, only continuous improvements. We believe that Chengdu will continue to enhance its urban business environment, polish this 'golden signboard,' attract more innovative talents and entities to settle in Chengdu, and collectively write the city's bright future.