Chongqing, alternately romanized as
Chungking, is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The official abbreviation of the city, "
Yรบ", was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997, when Chongqing was split off from Sichuan province. This abbreviation is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds into the Yangtze River. Chongqing is China's major modernized manufacturing base, a financial center and an international transport hub in Western China. Geographically, Chongqing is strategically positioned as a gateway to China's west, a key connection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and a strategic base for China's Belt and Road Initiative.