JOC Staff | Jun 30, 2011 11:43AM EDT
China’s Chongqing airport plans to double cargo volume in the coming years as the Western China city advances efforts to become a major center for technology manufacturing.
The Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport will build a 1.8 million-square-foot cargo terminal, starting with a 322,000-square-foot bonded international freight facility, according to the Xinhau China news agency.
The Chongqing Economy and Information Technology Commission said this month some 30 million laptops would be produced at factories in the city in 2011 and a third of those would likely move by air.
Chongqing is one of the largest and fastest growing of the city’s in China’s interior that Beijing has targeted for growth as the country shifts some manufacturing from coastal cities to the West.
TNT and cargo airline Yangtze River have added freighter flights between Europe and Chongqing in recent months, but officials told Xinhau they are seeking more connections to Europe and direct cargo flights to the United States.
Technology products makers such as Hewlett Packard, Foxconn and Cisco have helped push a boom in manufacturing in the city. PC manufacturer Acer in May signed an agreement to start computer production in the city. "Our decision to go West in China is a global strategy," Acer President Jim Wong said.
Chongqing’s business development group has said it hopes to increase IT production capabilities to some $150 billion with manufacturing capability for 80 million laptops and 50 million cell phones by 2015.
