With costs rising on the coast, businesses are taking their money west, Cecily Liu reports

Chengdu's growth is a crucial part of China's transition from an export-oriented economy to one based on consumption and knowledge, economists in Europe said.

They say that rising production costs on the coast are prompting investors to look for opportunities inland. Chengdu's historical advantages in high-end manufacturing put it in a position to benefit from this trend.

"After the world financial crisis, more efforts (in China) have been focused on promoting domestic consumption than on exports and investments," said Yao Shujie, head of the University of Nottingham's School of Contemporary Chinese Studies.

"The economic growth of Chengdu will in the short term help reduce the inter-regional income inequality in China. In the long term, Chengdu will become a global city based on its current success and its future growth," Yao said before the 12th Fortune Global Forum that opens today in the capital of Sichuan province.

The forum has helped boost Chengdu's economic strength as the city gears itself up to host the event.

Chengdu achieved a GDP of 813.89 billion yuan ($130.7 billion) last year, placing it at the forefront of China's second-tier cities.