Editor's note: As Chengdu prepares to host the 12th Fortune Global Forum from June 6 to 8, Yan Xing, deputy dean of the Chengdu Academy of Social Sciences, outlines the five strengths that enabled the city to become the first in western China to attract the event:

Engine for development

China is now the second largest economy in the world. The western part of the country, due to the west development strategy, is a most promising region in the world economy.