Okay, Chongqing, China... Let's talk about this grand plan of theirs. "Breakthroughs on novel drugs," huh? Sounds fantastic, right? Like they're on the verge of curing cancer and inventing immortality pills all at once. But let's be real, we've heard this song and dance before. Every city, every province, every country is "investing in innovation" and "aiming for breakthroughs." It's the PR equivalent of elevator music.

The Illusion of Innovation

The Chinese government says Chongqing wants "one to three innovative drugs approved for market launch each year by 2027." One to three? That's it? For a city that probably has a chongqing population in the tens of millions? I've had bigger bowel movements than that. And what exactly constitutes an "innovative" drug, anyway? Is it really innovative, or just a slightly tweaked version of something that already exists, repackaged with a fancy new label to get those sweet, sweet government subsidies? China’s southwestern industrial base eyes breakthroughs on novel drugs

And don't even get me started on "building three innovative drug industry clusters." Clusters? Sounds like some dystopian sci-fi movie where everyone lives in sterile corporate pods and dreams of… slightly better medication.

"Focusing on breakthroughs in core technologies…" they say. Oh, please. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a politician or CEO utter the words "core technologies," I could buy Elon Musk's Twitter… or whatever the hell he's calling it this week. What "core technologies" are we even talking about here? Are they reinventing the wheel, or just putting new tires on an old car? Details, people! Give me some actual details!

Tourism Hype vs. Reality

And while they're patting themselves on the back for their pharmaceutical "innovations," let's not forget about the other big news coming out of Chongqing: the International Travel Agent Conference. Apparently, they want to be a "world-renowned cultural and tourism destination."

Okay, I'll bite. Chongqing, I'm sure you're a lovely city. I'm sure the chongqing hot pot is delicious. But let's not pretend this travel agent conference isn't just a glorified PR stunt. "Signing of multiple cooperation agreements," "inauguration of the Chongqing Professional Committee for Foreign-Language Tour Guides," "appointment of five international friends as '2026 Chongqing Cultural and Tourism Promotion Ambassadors.'"

It's all just buzzwords and photo ops, designed to create the illusion of progress and attract investment. I'm sure the people of Chengdu are having a good laugh at all this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Chongqing is evil. I'm just saying, let's not get carried away with the hype. They want to streamline visa policies? Great, that's like, the bare minimum of what you need to do to be a modern tourist destination. They're launching a committee for foreign-language tour guides? Okay, so they finally figured out that not everyone speaks Mandarin. Bravo.

The Self-Reliance Fantasy

The whole thing just reeks of desperation, a frantic attempt to keep up with the Joneses – or, in this case, Shanghai and Beijing. China wants "sci-tech self-reliance," and Chongqing is trying to position itself as a key player. But can they really pull it off? Or is it just another case of overpromising and underdelivering?

The article mentions Chongqing saw its first Class 1 innovative drug get approved last year. An injectable treatment for psoriasis. Seriously? That's the best they got? No offense to people with psoriasis, but that ain't exactly curing world hunger. It feels like calling a new brand of slightly less salty potato chips a "culinary revolution."

I mean, are we really supposed to believe that chongqing city is suddenly going to become the next Silicon Valley for pharmaceuticals? Or is this all just smoke and mirrors, designed to impress the higher-ups in Beijing and secure more funding? I suspect the latter. Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe Chongqing really is on the verge of a medical and tourism revolution. But color me skeptical. Very skeptical.

So, What's the Real Story?

It's the same old game: promise the moon, deliver a rock. I ain't holding my breath for any "breakthroughs" coming out of Chongqing anytime soon.