Chengdu, in Southwest China’s Sichuan province, is building a competitive, open economic system by establishing international co-operation parks and foreign exchange centres, and by assisting quality enterprises — helping them to get established and then assisting their global growth.

The city has established several international co-operation parks, including the Sino-Korea Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, Sino-German SME Co-operation Park and Sino-France Ecological Park. “These international co-operation parks serve as important carriers for developing small and medium-sized enterprises,” said Ding Xiaobin, director of the Chengdu Investment Promotion Commission.

To offer services to the small- and medium-sized enterprises and innovation teams that settle in Chengdu, the city intends to build up its professional administrative organisation and service team. The services cover consulting, settling, running, financing and incubating companies, with the goal of developing Chengdu into a priority destination and gathering place for the foreign small and medium-sized enterprises.

To meet the personal demands of foreigners in the co-operation parks, Chengdu also establishes an array of living service facilities, comprising culture, education, health care and catering. Chengdu’s open environment has inspired Italy to become the latest nation investing in Chengdu.

Following Sino-Korea Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, Sino-German SME Co-operation Park and Sino-France Ecological Park, the Sino-Italy Cultural Innovation Park last August opened the fourth international co-operation park in Chengdu.

Filippo Nicosia, Italy’s consul general in Chongqing, said the Sino-Italy Cultural Innovation Park’s priority is the development of culture and innovation industry.

“There are two projects under promotion in this park, consisting of an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator of Politecnico di Milano and an art village of H. Brothers Entertainment Company. “The park will also bring in some Italian cultural and art enterprises, galleries and museums,” he added.

In addition, Chengdu has set up foreign exchange centres to foster the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Among those centres is the Business and Innovation Centre for China-Europe Co-operation, which was launched last May.

The Business and Innovation Centre for China-Europe Co-operation consists of six functional areas, such as European commodity trade exhibition and trading centres, a China-Europe technology exchange centre, an incubation centre for European small- and medium-sized enterprises, a headquarters base centre for European enterprises, an economic development promotion office for European countries and a one-stop integrated service centre.

As of the end of May, the Business and Innovation Centre for China-Europe Co-operation has received ambassadors from Italy, Finland, Austria, France and Germany and more than 500 officials from 25 countries. And 151 enterprises and organisations from 39 countries have applied to settle in the centre, more than 40 of which have already settled.

The centre will connect with Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and the Chengdu-Europe Fast Railway in the near future, enhancing the connectivity and co-operation among China, Europe and the countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, according to the government.

Meanwhile, Chengdu is paying special attention to introducing high-quality industries and enterprises worldwide. Chengdu is scheduled to woo the regional headquarters of transnational enterprises that are in line with the city’s strategic positioning.