Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, dubbed as a paradise on Earth in China, has turned out to be an economic heaven for some as Taiwanese investment in the scenic city reached 25.7 billion US dollars by June.

Officials with the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau of Suzhou city government said Taiwanese investment accounted for one third of the overseas investment in the city, which is about an hour's drive from the port city of Shanghai.

A total of 3,297 firms funded by Taiwanese investors have been set up in the city with a combined registered investment of 12.89 billion US dollars.

Taiwan's top 100 firms and about 120 listed companies from the island set up over 250 firms in Suzhou, which has a population of nearly 6 million.

Taiwanese investors said well-trained work force is one of the major reasons they chose Suzhou for their investment and nine of Taiwan's top 10 notebook computer manufacturers have established manufacturing firms in the city.

Founded about 2,500 years ago, Suzhou has been a prosperous place in China as one of the country's main granaries and key tourist destinations.

With a sound infrastructure, the city is linked with Shanghai by railway and expressway.

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