Chengdu Hi-tech Zone of China Accelerates to Integrate into the Global Innovation Network

Last April 1^st, Sichuan (Chengdu) Hi-tech Pilot Free Trade Zone was officially set up and in May, they launched a "Global Top Science Park Partnership Program" (TSPPP), expecting to set up a cooperation mechanism connecting global famous science parks and enterprises. 22 science parks including Sophia Antipolis of France, Barcelona Innovative Industrial Park of Spain, and Amsterdam Science Park of Holland co-set up "World First Class S&T Parks Champions' League" in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone and the concept of "community with a shared future for Science Park" has been widely recognized. Last October, Sophia Antipolis and Chengdu Hi-tech Zone signed an agreement on mutual establishment of innovation centers; last November, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone and New Jersey Association of Trade & investment Promotion signed a Memorandum of Understanding on jointly setting up liaison offices. By the end of 2017, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone had already set up 18 off-shore innovation bases abroad.

As a new window for western China to open to and cooperate with Europe, the Business & Innovation Centre for China-Europe Cooperation located in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone was launched last May. It has signed settlement agreement with 17 European institutions such as European Business & Innovation Center Network (EBN), China-UK Development Center, and The Russian Union of Innovation and Technology Centre (RUITC).

Chengdu Hi-tech Pilot Free Trade Zone is also trying to change the stereotyped impression to government departments in inland China. In management, it has basically formulated an investment management mechanism by taking Negative List as the core and the handling time of foreign-investment enterprise establishment and change shortens from over 20 working days to within 3 working days.