□ Article/ Journalist Zeng Rui Tr. by Zhang Jie

China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Was Granted to Chongqing Profoundly Integrated into the “The Belt and Road” Initiative Makes Chongqing Release Its Full Vitality to the Outside World

□ Article/ Journalist Zeng Rui Tr. by Zhang Jie

On November 6, 2015, President Xi Jinping announced in Singapore that Chongqing has become the city of the 3rd China-Singapore government cooperative project. The first two China-Singapore inter-governmental cooperation projects are China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park and China-Singapore Tianjin eco-friendly city. On November 7 of that year, with the witness of President Xi Jinping and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the two sides signed the Framework Agreement on the Construction of The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. This marked the of fi cial approval of the 3rd project between the two governments, and Chongqing was the very place where the project is located.

On September 20, 2017, when meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who was paying a formal visit to China, President Xi Jinping emphasized that “The Belt and Road” Construction is the focus of the current China-Singapore cooperation, both sides should strive to construct the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity and promote other countries to participate in the construction of international land and sea trade new channel at the regional level.

The China-Singapore (Chongqing) demonstration initiative on Strategic Connectivity, centering on the theme of “Modern Interconnection and Modern Service Economy” as the subject,is in line with “The Belt and Road” Initiative, strategies of West Development and Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is an innovative and high-level demonstrative project with high starting point.Located in Chongqing, the project engages in cooperation in such fi elds like fi nancial services, aviation, transportation, logistics and information and communication technologies, forming a web of collaboration to promote the development of the western region.

Now, the project has been settled in Chongqing for two years, The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity has achieved remarkable results with the joint efforts of both sides. On August 31, 2017, Zhang Guoqing, mayor of Chongqing, said at the third meeting of the Joint Implementation Committee of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity that, in accordance with agreements signed by the governments of China and Singapore.The two sides have kept close communication, pragmatically advanced and established tripartite cooperation mechanism,formulated preliminary related key plans, issued a series of innovative measures including Chinese 57 supporting policies and Singapore’s “8＋3” policies, sighed 90 key projects with a total amount of nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars. The demonstration,radiation and drive of the project have been shown. The next step will be, in accordance with the requirements proposed by President Xi Jinping on “Construction of Innovative and High-level China-Singapore Connectivity Project with High Starting Point’’,both sides will make further efforts to turn the vision into practical action, develop specific projects in accordance with sub-plan,promote innovation in policy and project landing benign interaction,continue to expand the breadth and depth of cooperation, advance governmental and non-governmental to gather strength and wisdom together, drive China-Singapore connectivity project to achieve great accomplishment and bene fi t people.

On 25 of September in 2017, a train, fi lled of parts of automobile and motorcycle, started from the port of Chongqing, and went to Qinzhou Port, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. All stuffs on the train will transport to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, like Singapore, by sea freight. After having the railway between Chongqing and Singapore of Transportation to ASEAN countries (also called The Channel to the Southern Areas),10-13 days would be saved compared with the domestic traditional transportation. Thus, the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and “Maritime Silk Road in 21st Century” combined in Chongqing and the initiative of “The Belt and Road” made a circle in logistics at here too. Its opening is the latest result of Chongqing, based on deepening the reform and opening up to the outside world, in serving the Belt and Road, integrating in Yangtze River Economic Belt and The Development of the Western Region in China when CCI (The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity) was implemented in Chongqing.

Recently, there are big news in transportation and logistics of CCI:on August 31, the “1+1” running platform of The China-Singapore(Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity)opened in Chongqing, which implicated that the multi-model transportation is formed; on September 25, trains of The Channel to the Southern Areas started operating in both way and were in a normal situation; on September 28, millions of men’s wearing of HUGO BOSS, a famous world brand, arrived in Chongqing by bus through cross border highway of the China-Singapore Transportation Program, and reached to Germany by China Railway Express (Chongqing), which means that Chongqing-ASEAN International Highway and China Railway Express(Chongqing) were connected successfully; on September 29,the opening ceremony of the train from Lanzhou to Chongqing of China-Singapore Connectivity Program was held in the railway port of Chongqing, meanwhile, the train started from Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, to Chongqing and Qinzhou Port of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region began to run. After implementing China-Singapore Connectivity Program from November 2015,Chongqing made a remarkable achievement in integrating the national strategies, taking part in the establishment of “The Belt and Road” and the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt and in the fi eld of transportation and logistics.