Chengdu is a magnet for multinationals: 2025 brought new R&D facilities from Huawei and Sanofi, alongside Intel’s expanded chip packaging and testing facility and new investments in the Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, home to more than 3,200 tech and Fortune 500 firms. Small wonder the city is #6 in internet connectivity. Logistics is expanding in lockstep. Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (#26) is on track to surpass 60 million annual passengers in 2025, with a third terminal in advanced planning for 2027. The Chengdu–Zigong high-speed rail line has trimmed travel times to under an hour, and this year, 95% of Chinese cities with a population of 500,000 or more are scheduled to have a high-speed rail system.
Urban livability is getting a dramatic boost from the Tianfu Greenway Project, which will add 10,500 miles (!) of interconnected parks and paths by 2035, with major riverfront sections completed by 2026. Retail and hospitality are also blooming, with IFS and Taikoo Li malls adding luxury flagships, and the iHotel Indigo Chengdu Financial City, which seamlessly blends business and leisure, opening this year. And play took center stage at the World Games 2025, with more than 4,000 athletes from 118 countries competing in non-Olympic sports.