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Chongqing's "Innovation" Push: More Hype or Real Breakthrough?
Alright, Chongqing wants to be the next biotech hub? Give me a freakin' break. Every two-bit city in China is suddenly a "center for innovation" these days. It's like they're all reading from the same CCP-approved script.
The "Innovation" Charade
So, Chongqing – a place I mostly associate with spicy hot pot and ridiculously steep hills – is now aiming to pump out "one to three innovative drugs" a year by 2027. Right. They're gonna "optimize the industrial innovation system," according to some 25-point plan. You know what that sounds like? Bureaucratic buzzword bingo.
And what exactly constitutes an "innovative drug" in China? Oh, it's a "Class 1 innovative drug" – something with "new compounds" that hasn't been marketed anywhere else. So basically, they're aiming for the bare minimum definition of "new." It's like saying you're an "innovative" chef because you put pineapple on a pizza.
They even got the usual suspects lining up: Hefei doing EVs, Shenzhen chasing AI, Hangzhou doing… well, everything else. It's the same tired formula. Throw money at something, declare it a "strategic priority," and hope for the best. Works every time, right? Offcourse it does.
But here's the real kicker: Chongqing already got one of these "Class 1" drugs approved last year. An injectable for psoriasis. Okay, good for them, I guess? But does one drug make you a biotech powerhouse? Does one Super Bowl win make you a dynasty? I don't think so. According to China’s southwestern industrial base eyes breakthroughs on novel drugs, Chongqing and other cities are hoping to achieve breakthroughs with novel drugs.
And the timing of all this is just perfect, isn't it? Proposals for the next five-year plan (2026-2030) are all about "sci-tech self-reliance." Translation: we don't wanna rely on those pesky Westerners anymore. Which, fine, but let's not pretend this is about some noble pursuit of scientific progress. It's about geopolitical one-upmanship.
The Tourism Hype Train
Oh, and while we're on the subject of Chongqing trying to reinvent itself, let's talk about this "International Travel Agent Conference." Apparently, it's a "pivotal moment for cross-border tourism dialogue." I'm sorry, but who writes this stuff? It sounds like it was generated by an early version of ChatGPT.
400 participants from 40 countries? Consular officials? Industry associations? They even appointed five "2026 Chongqing Culture and Tourism Promotion Ambassadors." Seriously? What are these people gonna do, post a few Instagram stories of them eating hot pot?
Zhao Shiqing, some bigwig from the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, says the city wants to become a "world-renowned cultural and tourism destination." Good luck with that. You're competing with Paris, Rome, Bali... Chongqing has spicy food and some cool rock carvings. Ain't gonna cut it.
They're even offering "new visa, accommodation, and payment facilitation measures." As if simplifying the visa process is gonna magically transform Chongqing into a must-see destination. People go where they want to go, not where it's slightly easier to get a visa.
Then again, maybe I'm just being cynical. Maybe Chongqing really is on the verge of becoming a biotech and tourism mecca. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and see flying cars and tourists lining up to get their psoriasis injections. But I seriously doubt it.