Twenty major universities in Chongqing and Southwest China's Sichuan province established a university alliance in Chengdu on Tuesday to promote regional exchanges in higher education.

In January, Beijing launched a new program to promote the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, which will help foster a growth pole for high-quality development in western China and push opening-up in the landlocked area.

The alliance, called University Consortium in Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle, is one of the efforts to integrate resources in the two cities.

It aims to provide scientific, technological and intellectual support for the construction of the economic circle.

According to the alliance's declaration, member schools are expected to carry out cooperation in talent cultivation, scientific research, social services, cultural heritage and innovation, international exchange and cooperation.

"Chengdu and Chongqing have rich resources in higher education", said Zhang Zongyi, principal of Chongqing University.

"The university alliance will break the restrictions of administrative regions and conduct further cooperation."

The university alliance consists of 12 universities in Sichuan province: Sichuan University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Southwest Jiaotong University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu University of Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu University of TCM, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Xihua University, Southwest University of Science and Technology.

In Chongqing, eight universities are involved: Chongqing University, Southwest University, Third Military Medical University, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Sichuan International Studies University.