World Tennis Tour Junior Finals Spotlight Shuangliu’s Airport Economy

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Shuangliu District in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is hosting the 2026 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals from Oct 21 to 25, as the district uses its status as an aviation hub to attract international events and investment.

The district government said in a statement that hosting the tournament reflects Shuangliu’s efforts, as a key hub in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, to overcome the limits of its inland location and integrate into global value chains.

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport handled about 33.52 million passenger trips and 736,000 tonnes of cargo and mail in 2025.

The district’s total imports and exports rose 22.5 per cent year-on-year to 71.572 billion Chinese yuan in the first half of 2026, supported by its Airport Economic Demonstration Zone and Comprehensive Bonded Zone. (100 Chinese yuan = RM61.15)

Shuangliu’s aviation sector includes 141 key companies, with total output value exceeding 137.4 billion Chinese yuan in 2025. Commercial space company iSpace has also chosen the district as a base for its expansion.

Optical communications company Eoptolink, which supplies optical transceivers to technology firms including NVIDIA, is among the district’s companies expanding globally. Its market capitalisation has at one point exceeded 800 billion Chinese yuan.

The district government said it has shortened the project implementation cycle by 20 per cent through improved services for businesses.

It added that Shuangliu has been named one of China’s "Happiest Urban Districts" by media outlets for several consecutive years and continues to record a net inflow of population.

-- BERNAMA