Chengdu City is China's leading technology hub and produces half the world's iPads, laptops and CPUs.

It also produces most of the apps for Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems. It's the capital of Sichuan Province located in southwest China and one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

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The city's Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone is one of the major technology players in the country and is dubbed the Silicon Valley of China.

Thomas Tang, an executive at the zone, said the skillful workforce and lower taxes plus inexpensive electricity and efficient transportation systems make Chengdu very attractive to foreign investors.

The zone has over 30 Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Nokia, Motorola, Canon, SAP, Siemens, Cisco, Symantec, Intel and HP.

Tang said the transportation system in place attracts most of the foreign investors because of its capability to ferry electronic devices daily from airplanes to fast trains. The region serves as a transportation center for southwest China and its airport is one of the country's main international airports.

The first research and development center was established in 1996 by Indian telecom firm Primetel. Since then, Chengdu has grown as a global center for the telecom industry.

The rise of Chengdu city also began with the help of Intel. Since 2001, Intel has invested US$600 million in the city for chip testing, manufacturing and assembly.

"In order to set up good relationships, the Chengdu municipal government set up an Intel office especially for us 10 years ago, we have been expanding very rapidly during our nine years here." said Gu Yi, Intel's spokesperson.

The software industry has also grown rapidly since 2003.

"When we first arrived, it was all barren land, to our surprise, the government negotiated with us with great enthusiasm, while the focus back then was bringing in manufacturing," said Bai Fan, managing director of Symantec's Chengdu research and development center.

TagsChengdu City, Thomas Tang, Sichuan Province, Apple Inc., Intel, Intel Chip, Nokia, Motorola, Canon, SAP, Siemens, Cisco, HP, Primetel, Fortune 500, Symantec, R&D