In December 2023, the Central Economic Work Conference put forward a major strategy of "optimizing the layout of major productive forces and strengthening the construction of the national strategic hinterland". The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to the development of the western region. In April 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Chongqing, emphasizing that "the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee". The 2024 Government Work Report also emphasizes the importance of strengthening the construction of the national strategic hinterland. As the name suggests, a strategic hinterland is relative to a coastal (border) area. Therefore, the central and western regions will certainly be the key areas for the construction of the national strategic hinterland. The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, thousands of kilometers away from the eastern coastal areas. With a large population, vast land, abundant natural resources, large economic scale, strong scientific and technological strength and special strategic position, the region is one of China's most ideal core bearing areas for building a national strategic hinterland in the new era. This paper first reviews the remarkable achievements of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle in terms of economic growth, population agglomeration, scientific and technological innovation, industrial development, market cultivation and opening up since the beginning of this century, analyzes the opportunities and challenges of cultivating new productive forces and improving the quality of development in the region, and finally puts forward policy suggestions for the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle in the new era as the core carrying area of the national strategic hinterland.