German hi-tech, high culture event opens in Chongqing

Part of an ambitious multi-city, three-year campaign entitled "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together", the cross-cultural festival moves to Chongqing today, hosted by the municipality in southwest China.

"As the only inland host city, Chongqing has gone all out to ensure a success of the event," Zhou Mubing, vice-mayor of the city, said in a recent press conference.

About 100 events, including pop concerts, exhibitions and symposiums, will be held between May 9 and 17 to showcase Germany's diverse culture, eco-friendly technologies and high-quality education.

The campaign will help enhance cooperation between Chongqing and Germany in various sectors and promote friendship and understanding between their peoples, said Zhou.

Different from many other events hosted by nations to promote themselves in the world's most populous country, Germany's effort goes beyond culture to embrace economics, technology and education.

Starting last August in Nanjing, an eastern city that reportedly has the most German-invested firms in the country, the event will be held in fast-growing second-tier cities every half year until it ends at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Chongqing is the only western municipality hosting the second leg of the campaign that not only highlights Germany, but also draws attention to the city's robust growth over the past three decades.

Dynamic city

The bustling city reported an annual increase of 15.6 percent in its gross domestic product in 2007, driven in part by foreign trade, which reached $2.29 billion in the first quarter of 2008, a surge of nearly 50 percent year-on-year.

The European Union remained Chongqing's biggest trade partner during the period. Its $580 million volume was double that with the United States, which totaled $290 million.

A key portal to the vast resource-rich western region, the municipality on the Yangtze River enjoys a markedly strategic location, Vice-Mayor Zhou said.

A transportation network under construction that includes air, rail and expressways is expected to further consolidate the city's position as a leading communication and commerce hub in the west, Zhou added.

With a well-established industrial foundation, Chongqing is a key production base for vehicles and engines.

The city's banking and insurance industries have also witnessed sharp growth. It has also gained increasing recognition from around the world, with five countries - Britain, Canada, Japan, Denmark and Cambodia - now operating general consulates in the city to serve a growing number of foreign-invested companies. While it doesn't yet have a consulate in the city, Germany is represented by multinational giants including BASF, Siemens and Allianz.

Positive influence

Hosting the prestigious festival offers locals the opportunity to understand Germany's way of life without having to leave their home city, Zhou said.

Chongqing is also capitalizing on the opportunity to showcase its competitive strengths and welcoming environment to the world, he noted.

The event is expected to have an impact on the city's healthy growth, the vice-mayor said.

Designated by the central government as a national pilot area for reforms to bridge the urban-rural growth gap, Chongqing is revving up for urbanization.

The city's urban areas are projected to expand from their current size of 5 million sq m to 10 million in the next decade, with population expected to grow from 5.6 million to 10 million, according to the vice-mayor.

The fast pace of urbanization will bring increased pressure on the environment, so the municipal government has begun moves to tighten pollution controls and strike a balance between growth and environmental preservation, Zhou said.

The measures include shifting economic growth to low energy-consuming industries, increasing investment in environmental protection and activities to raise environmental awareness among locals.

Chongqing began a clean energy project in early 2000 that encouraged local enterprises and residents to replace coal with cleaner energy from natural gas and electricity to fuel boilers.

The boiler revolution led to an annual 76,000-ton reduction in sulfur dioxide and 35,000-ton fall in smog levels in urban areas.

Germany has an edge in eco-friendly technological solutions, Zhou said, adding that he is sure that the environmental symposiums and forums, incorporated in the German event - which experts and scholars of both countries are expected to attend - will formulate invaluable advice for the city's balanced growth.

(China Daily 05/09/2008 page17)