CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- It was sleeting on March 5 in Beijing.

The cold weather hasn’t stopped the enthusiasm of Chinese and foreign journalists to run to the plenary meeting held by the Chongqing delegation at 3:00 p.m. It is the first open group meeting after the second session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress was held.

Some reporters arrived at the plenary meeting as early as 11:00 a.m. to find the perfect camera angle.

At 2:00 p.m., the meeting venue was a sea of reporters from major foreign media, central media, and provincial media. All of the 80 seats in the venue were occupied, and the staff was busy adding seats.

High and low, the cameras aimed at the speakers’ seats.

The Chongqing delegation has well prepared for the plenary meeting. The staff members gave out the Introduction of Chongqing Delegation, Register of Deputies, and news information, and thoughtfully helped the media to contact the deputies that they wanted to interview.

186 reporters from 112 Chinese and foreign media (including 29 foreign media) participated in the meeting before the Q&A session began. The seats in the meeting venue are a scarce commodity, and some reporters had no choice but to stand on the aisles on both sides of the venue.

The deputies deliberated on the government work report in the first stage of the meeting, which was a special lesson for reporters. They listened to the speech and noted down ‘Chongqing’s buzzwords’ attentively, such as Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, new productive forces, high-quality development, ‘33618’ modern manufacturing cluster system, and the digital development of Chongqing.

The much-anticipated Q&A session, the second stage of the meeting, began at 4:40 p.m., where the on-site reporters could hardly wait to raise their questions.

"We note that Chongqing has made further systematic arrangements to promote the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle in the ‘first meeting in 2024’. What are the main considerations based on? and what new measures and new highlights do Chongqing have in the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle? "

A CCTV reporter got the chance to be the first to ask the question. It’s obvious that he/she had learned much about Chongqing’s ‘first meeting in 2024’.

"Chongqing's GDP exceeded three trillion yuan for the first time in 2023. What will be the new focus of Chongqing's economic development?" A Hong Kong commercial reporter asked.

This reporter had also prepared well for the meeting. It is important to know that after Chongqing's regional GDP exceeded three trillion yuan for the first time, Chongqing put forward a new goal – by 2027, Chongqing's regional GDP will reach four trillion yuan.

“As an important manufacturing city, what are the unique advantages and overall considerations of Chongqing in developing new quality productivity and promoting high-quality development?” A foreign reporter from China Daily asked.

The Chongqing deputies answered their questions openly and sincerely.

We can see that most reporters are curious about the ‘development’ of Chongqing.

Looking back to 2023, China's GDP exceeded 126 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.2%; Chongqing's regional GDP stepped into a new stage of three trillion yuan, up 6.1%.

In 2024, China aims to achieve a GDP growth of about 5%, and Chongqing expects a regional GDP growth of about 6%.

The Chongqing deputies repeatedly demonstrated their determination and confidence in Chongqing's development at the meeting, saying that they would strive to realize their goal.

As of 6 p.m., the Q&A session was more than halfway through, but there were still many reporters raising their hands for questions.

As the Q&A session continues, the popularity of Chongqing increases... (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)