When Chinese President Xi Jinping launched his One Belt, One Road (Obor), or New Silk Road, initiative — a ploy to lash China to Eurasia and Africa using a ribbon of newly developed trade routes — politicians and investors across the world took out maps and began to chart new opportunities.
So too did China’s city-level officials. In Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, city planners have focused on becoming China’s largest western transport and logistics hub.
Chengdu finds itself at the centre of a number of China’s economic development strategies. After painting its aims with a broad brush, Beijing leaves the details of these plans to lower-level officials and planners. Bright ideas and contributions are rewarded with funding, preferential policy and promotions.