The southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan is home to a large-scale smart city development that's being built in collaboration with the U.S. state of California. Once completed, Meishan California Smart City is expected to see hundreds of international companies establish bases. Zheng Songwu reports.

In 2017, Sichuan Province established a formal relationship with the U.S. state of California to collaborate on clean energy projects. One of them is the Meishan smart city development, located in Chengdu's Tianfu New Area.

Under construction since 2019, it covers an area of 200 hectares. More than 70 enterprises have already established offices in the city.

ZOU XUEHUI Vice General Manager, Meishan-California Smart City Investment & Development Company "As the world's fifth largest economy, California is a pioneer in research and development in clean energy, accounting for 60 percent of U.S. investment. And our Sichuan Province also has an abundance of clean energy resources and is the largest hydropower production base in China, so there is a good prospect for cooperation between the two regions."

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, Meishan has become a frontier city in China's opening up to the world. The project is also designed to promote green information technology and sustainable development.

Only 10 percent of the city has been completed, but it already provides enterprises with facilities like rooftop solar panels, and energy storage piles. More companies are moving to the city.

HONG TAO Manager of Solutions Department Huantian Wisdom Company "Our company mainly focuses on digital agriculture, smart cities, and irrigation using our self-manufactured satellites, as well as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. We launched ten satellites last year, ranking fourth in China."

ROCCO MALARETT Founder, Zero Waste Company "I think a lot of people from my generation feel motivated to work towards reducing climate change because we were brought up with the belief that this is the time we have to do something about climate change. There is no other time. We wouldn't be able to have done this without the support of Meishan and California. The city was the first incubator that approached us and liked our idea and helped us from the very beginning with an office, resources, and valuable support."

Once completed, the Meishan-California Smart City will include research centers, schools, and is expected to house over 200 companies from across the world to share their experience working in the clean energy industry.

ZHENG SONGWU Meishan, Sichuan Province "Sichuan is one of the most pivotal provinces in China for clean energy development, and authorities in Meishan and California are working together to create more environmentally friendly prospects for their people. Zheng Songwu, CGTN, Sichuan Province."