National Media Reports Chongqing's Green Development Practices "Up Close" "Vibrant China Research Tour" Chongqing-Themed Media Campaign Kicks Off

As the final protective barrier of the upper Yangtze River's ecological corridor, Chongqing is currently achieving tangible results in comprehensive green development across its economy and society through strengthened application of digital and green technologies. 

On August 12, the 2025 "Vibrant China Research Tour" Chongqing-themed media campaign organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee was launched, with over 100 journalists from 17 central media outlets including People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency embarking on a five-day in-depth research tour across Chongqing's districts and counties, where they will conduct "up-close" reporting on the municipality's practices in promoting comprehensive green development, particularly focusing on industrial green and low-carbon transformation.

▲ The launch ceremony of the 2025 "Vibrant China Research Tour" Chongqing-themed media campaign (Photograph courtesy of reporter Zhou Qi) 

At the campaign briefing session, four municipal departments including the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission elaborated on Chongqing's approach to high-quality development characterized by "ecological priority, resource efficiency, and green low-carbon" practices in recent years. 

The head of the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission reported that since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chongqing has made significant progress in green transition, achieving 5.6% annual economic growth with only 2.4% annual energy consumption growth, reducing its energy consumption per unit of GDP to 0.310 tons of standard coal per RMB10,000 - approximately 30% better than the national average, while highlighting seven distinctive features of Chongqing's current green development strategy: "consistently strengthening the spatial framework for green development, effectively promoting industrial structure transformation, methodically establishing a green low-carbon energy system, proactively advancing green transportation, comprehensively developing a circular economy, persistently building support systems for green transition, and multi-directionally guiding green lifestyle practices." 

"By establishing a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone and coordinating carbon reduction, pollution control, ecological expansion, and growth enhancement, Chongqing continues to polish the green credentials of new industrialization, accelerating its development as a national hub for advanced manufacturing for green, high-quality growth while reinforcing its role as the ecological bulwark of the upper Yangtze River basin," stated the head of Chongqing Economic and Information Commission. In recent years, Chongqing has persistently upgraded its industrial structure through "ascending to higher-end and innovating toward new frontiers" - implementing a dual strategy of "addition" by vigorously developing advanced manufacturing and strategic emerging industries to expand new growth areas, while practicing "subtraction" by strictly controlling the scale of energy-intensive industries, successfully reducing the value-added output share of six major high-energy-consumption sectors to below 25%, approximately 5 percentage points lower than the national average. 

The municipality has concurrently implemented "carbon reduction, pollution abatement, and efficiency gains" initiatives across its industrial sector, having provided energy-saving services to over 700 enterprises, conducted energy efficiency supervision for 1,000+ manufacturers, completed 6,000+ industrial technological transformation projects involving nearly 40,000 pieces of equipment, and promoted 36 industrial solid waste utilization technologies, 36 advanced renewable resource recycling technologies, along with 47 pioneering energy-saving, environmental protection, and new energy equipment applications - collectively strengthening the green manufacturing system and steadily enhancing resource circularity. 

The director of Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources Regulation elaborated that aligned with the development principle of "coordinated carbon reduction, pollution control, ecological expansion, and growth to achieve comprehensive green socioeconomic transformation," Chongqing has systematically anchored green development safeguards, achieving preliminary results in integrated "mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands" conservation and restoration, advancing land conservation and intensive utilization, strategically planning urban green spaces, and actively promoting green mobility - with all key green development initiatives registering new progress and tangible outcomes. 

The head of Chongqing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau stated that in recent years, Chongqing has actively practiced the "Two Mountains" concept (lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets), coordinated efforts in carbon reduction, pollution control, ecological expansion, and growth promotion, and advanced comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, achieving new progress in five key areas: "intensifying pollution prevention and control, ecological conservation and restoration, accelerating the creation of integrated urban-rural aesthetics, promoting green and low-carbon transition, and establishing an ecological governance system for megacities." 

"As the largest riverside city in the upper Yangtze River basin and the final protective barrier of this crucial ecological corridor, Chongqing bears both the mission and responsibility to vigorously advance green development and fortify this vital ecological shield," said Li Guo, head of the Chongqing Bureau of Worker's Daily and a member of the media delegation, expressing his anticipation to "experience green lifestyles, discover the new beauty of Chongqing, and witness green development in action" through this coverage, while committing to thoroughly report on Chongqing's comprehensive green development practices to better communicate ecological civilization concepts to the public. 

"By consistently implementing the 'Two Mountains' concept and tapping into green economy opportunities, Chongqing is achieving a 'win-win-win' scenario for ecological, economic, and social benefits," noted Luo Hongjin, a reporter from the Economic News Department of China Media Group's News Center and delegation member, emphasizing that Chongqing's exemplary green development practices are synchronizing "micro-scenarios" and "macro-scenarios" across green industries, providing other Chinese regions with a replicable, scalable, and sustainable "green pathway" for high-quality development.

Source: Chongqing Daily