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Dalian opened software park in Japan

By Zhu Chengpei and Zhang Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-03 16:02

The port city in Northeast China's Liaoning province opened a software park in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday.

As the first software park founded by a Chinese city in other countries, Dalian (Japan) Software Park created a milestone for the development of China’s IT outsourcing industry, said Shan Qingjiang, an official with the Department of Trade in Services of the Ministry of Commerce.

"It will surely boost Dalian's IT outsourcing sector by building a bridge between home companies and their Japanese clients," Shan commented.

He hopes the park will also serve as a platform for the Japan-oriented outsourcing businesses of other domestic cities.

More than 200 Japanese government officials and business leaders attended the opening ceremony.

Dalian (Japan) Software Park comprises of a core park and four branch parks, which are located in four different areas of Tokyo.

The core park is invested by the administrative committee of the city's hi-tech industrial zone. The branch parks are the subsidiaries of four Dalian-based companies including the Dalian Software Park, Dalian Hi-Think Computer Technology Co. Ltd, Hisoft Technology (Dalian) Co. Ltd and Neusoft Group Ltd.

"With the rapid development of Dalian's Japan-oriented IT outsourcing business, more and more home companies are setting up subsidiaries in Japan," said Dai Yulin, vice mayor of the city.

Statistics from the city's information industry bureau show that more than 20 local companies have set up their Japan branch offices.

But small-sized companies can hardly afford high cost of renting offices in Japan. The core park invested by the government can meet their demands in this aspect, according to Dai.

By mid-November, 35 companies have signed contracts to move into the core park, which can accommodate 73 companies.

Dalian began to lay emphasis on the development of software and service outsourcing sector in 1998. Since then, the city has grown into a major destination of Japanese businesses.

Now there are nearly 800 companies and 70,000 people are engaged in the IT outsourcing industry in Dalian.

The export volume of the city's software industry is expected to exceed US$ 1 billion in 2008.

"Although the global financial crisis strongly hurt the world economy, Dalian's software and service outsourcing sector remains developing fast. We have found some new opportunities in coping with current crisis," said Dai.

He said the municipal government will continue to support the Japan park and make it a public service platform for the city's IT outsourcing companies.

"In the future, we will consider the feasibility to copy the mode into the western countries," he added.

China Daily Dalian Bureau