City stands out with advanced services, emerging industries

Located at the core of the highly developed Yangtze River Delta, Kunshan city in Jiangsu province is fast becoming a modern international city.

As an open industrial and commercial metropolis, Kunshan has remained at the forefront of the nation's reform and opening-up policy in the past decades.

It is now home to more than 6,000 foreign-funded projects from 56 countries and regions around the world.

The city's actually utilized foreign capital reached $20 billion, and per capita GDP of the city exceeded $20,000 last year.

There are 92 projects in the city operated by more than 40 Fortune 500 companies, including big names like General Motors, Toyota and Siemens.

The city is also known for hosting a large number of companies from Taiwan. It accounts for about half of all investment from Taiwan in Suzhou, about a quarter of that in Jiangsu and nearly 10 percent of that in the whole country.

Kunshan has a population of 680,000 living within an area of 927 square kilometers.

Since 2005, Kunshan has ranked first on the list of Top 100 County-level Cities in China in terms of comprehensive economic strength.

One thing that makes the city so competitive is its backbone industries, such as electronic information.

After decades of development, a complete industrial chain has formed that includes software, integrated circuitry, flat-panel displays, computer and network equipment, and communication technology.

The city has become one of the key manufacturing bases for electronic information products in the world.

Another highlight of the city's economy is the Kunshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, which ranks the fourth in terms of comprehensive strength among all the State-level economic zones.

It is set to become the No 1 flat-panel display industrial base in the country.

The city also boasts a rich cultural legacy.

It is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, which has been hailed as the "Father of Chinese Operas". And Zhouzhuang in Kunshan is known as China's No 1 water town.

Modern service

The modern service industry is another major engine that drives economic growth in Kunshan.

The city houses the local offices of a number of leading financial service outsourcing companies, such as Capgemini of France, Bank of China Services Company, Global Data Solutions and China Data Group.

Nearly 50 multinational companies have set up regional headquarters in Kunshan.

The city is also home to dozens of world-class logistic companies led by Prologis from the United States.

Four giants in computer manufacturing - Dell, Acer, Asustek and Lenovo - all have spare parts distribution centers in Kunshan.

Moreover, Kunshan has adopted a series of proactive policies in an strategic plan to develop a modern service industry as part of a drive to upgrade its industrial structure.

For example, the government has streamlined examination and approval procedures to better serve investors.

All the applications are required to be examined within a time limit.

And the financial industry is rapidly developing.

About 80 equity funds have been set up in Kunshan.

And there are eight micro-credit companies to cater to the financing need of rural areas.

The number of modern logistics companies has also exploded in Kunshan in step with the expansion of trade.

At present, there are eight Class-4A logistics companies, 20 Class-3A logistics companies and 21 Class-2A logistics companies.

Class 5A is the top level for logistics companies in China.

The number of logistics companies above Class 1A in Kunshan accounts for almost one-third of the total in Jiangsu province.

Place for exhibition

In addition to robust growth in the service industry, the city is also a top choice for exhibitors thanks to its geographical advantages.

With Shanghai to the east and Suzhou to the west, Kunshan functions as a traffic hub with developed transportation infrastructure.

It is only 30 kilometers away from the Hongqiao transportation hub in Shanghai and 60 kilometers from Port of Shanghai, the largest in China.

There are also expressways linking the city with Shanghai's Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport.

With prosperous regional trade within the Yangtze River Delta - the largest economic region in the country- the city attracts many exhibition organizers.

For example, a series of high-profile events were held in Kunshan last year, such as the first China International Import Expo and the seventh China Retailers Convention and Exhibition. Together, they drew 150,000 attendees.

A large batch of well-known companies, such as Siemens, ABB, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Samsung, participated in these events.

The Yangtze River Delta's economic volume accounts for 20 percent of the GDP in China.

Its trade volume accounts for more than 40 percent of the nation's total.

zhoufurong@chinadaily.com.cn