As the core carrier of industrial agglomeration and regional economic development, the development of industrial parks plays a significant role in promoting high-quality regional economic growth. To better showcase the development trends of domestic park economies, starting today, the Shanghai headquarters of China Economic Information Service will launch the "China Economic Park Economic Insight" series, exploring new dynamics in park economies and uncovering new directions in park industries, by leveraging the Industry Insight Industrial Data Service Platform (referred to as the "Industry Insight System").

In this issue of "Insight into Economic Development in Industrial Parks," let's delve into the "Industrial Powerhouse" Suzhou and explore how the city optimizes its park layout and guides industrial agglomeration.

Top 100 Industrial Parks Become "Engines" of Open Innovation, and the "Smart Manufacturing" System is Constructed

In the latest edition of the Top 100 Industrial Parks ranking, Suzhou has multiple parks listed, making it the city with the most parks on the list. Among them, the Suzhou Industrial Park ranks fourth nationwide and first in Jiangsu Province, leading Suzhou's regional economy to exhibit characteristics of "innovation, high quality, and openness."

As a "strong industrial city," Suzhou achieved a gross regional product (GRP) of 1.9 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of the year, an increase of 4.8% year-on-year. Among this, the city's total industrial output value above designated size reached 3.2 trillion yuan, up 5.9% year-on-year. The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 5.3% year-on-year. The top six key industries achieved a total output value of 2.3 trillion yuan, up 6.2% year-on-year, with the computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry and the automobile manufacturing industry growing by 11.8% and 16.7% respectively.

Since the beginning of this year, Suzhou has fully implemented the "Suzhou Intelligent Manufacturing" strengthening and quality improvement action, aiming to build an "10+5" industrial system composed of key industrial clusters and key industrial chains. Efforts are being made to enhance the overall competitiveness of industrial chains, focusing on promoting the high-end transformation of traditional industries such as metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles, consolidating and upgrading advantageous industries such as electronic information and high-end equipment, fostering the growth of emerging industries such as new energy, new energy vehicles, digital economy, biomedicine, and big health, and accelerating the layout of new tracks such as humanoid robots, automotive electronics, and artificial intelligence.

Specialized and Characteristic "Top Students" Lead the Way, Over a Hundred Parks Together Paint a Diverse Landscape

Based on industry insight system data analysis, the overall layout of park types shows a development model where high-level, specialized, or distinctive parks serve as the core engines, and ordinary parks act as the main drivers. The dominant ordinary parks cover industrial foundations, low-cost manufacturing, and traditional industries, supporting the overall local economy and industrial development. As the demand for high-quality development increases, Suzhou is also vigorously promoting the construction of parks with high technological content and high added value. A batch of high-level, specialized, or distinctive parks, concentrated in the Suzhou Industrial Park and key areas, are emerging as the core engines for economic and technological innovation in the region.

From an industry distribution perspective, the overall layout is dominated by wholesale and retail trade, scientific research and technology services, leasing and business services, as well as manufacturing. This presents a diversified development pattern that emphasizes trade, services, and manufacturing, ensuring the continuity of traditional industries while laying the foundation for future industrial upgrading, modernization, and diversification. Suzhou is actively promoting strategies such as industrial clustering, research and innovation, and digital transformation to cultivate a more efficient and competitive park economic model.

Industry insight system data shows that as of the month, Suzhou City administers the districts of Gusu, Huqiu, Wuzhong, Xiangcheng, and Wujiang, as well as the Suzhou Industrial Park, and oversees the county-level cities of Zhangjiagang, Changshu, Taicang, and Kunshan, with a total of over multiple parks. Among them, Wuzhong District has the highest number of parks in the city, reaching over , followed by Kunshan City and Changshu City.

Wuzhong, Kunshan, and Huqiu lead the way, with differentiated development among enterprises in various districts.

The number of enterprises in Suzhou's industrial parks shows significant regional disparities. Industry insight system data indicates that there are over 10,000 park enterprises across Suzhou. Wuzhong District and Kunshan City rank at the forefront in terms of enterprise numbers. Among them, Wuzhong District has the highest proportion of enterprises, benefiting from more resources and policy support, which provides favorable conditions for the development of enterprises in the region.

In terms of overall layout, the distribution of industrial parks and enterprises across various regions of Suzhou reflects its industrial diversity and regional characteristics. Data shows that Suzhou has a total of high-tech enterprises, specialized and sophisticated enterprises, technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and listed enterprises. From the perspective of enterprise types in each district, Wuzhong District ranks first in Suzhou in terms of the number of high-tech, specialized and sophisticated, technology-based small and medium-sized, and listed enterprises, followed by Huqiu District and Kunshan City.

It is worth noting that as the region with the largest number of enterprises in Suzhou, Wuzhong District also leads in various specialized types of technology enterprises. It particularly stands out in high value-added, high growth potential, and sustainable development technology enterprises, with its high-quality development backed by systematic policy support and a well-established innovation ecosystem.

Firstly, the government of Wuzhong District provides a graded support system for tech enterprises covering the startup, growth, and maturity stages. The government offers strong financial support to key enterprises in R&D investment. For instance, unicorn enterprises receive a % subsidy of their previous year's R&D investment and support for six consecutive years. Secondly, Wuzhong District focuses on attracting and supporting innovative enterprises and the establishment of high-end R&D institutions. The district currently hosts over national-level research institutions and has attracted global top 500 companies, covering cutting-edge fields such as pharmaceuticals, communications, and artificial intelligence, jointly building a collaborative local innovation ecosystem.

Additionally, the distribution structure dominated by large enterprises within the park reflects its concentration in industries with significant economies of scale and high added value, such as high-tech and modern manufacturing. In terms of age and development level, most enterprises in the park have been in operation for years, demonstrating a high degree of stability and growth in their industrial structure. It is understood that the Suzhou Industrial Park initially relied primarily on traditional manufacturing, but has now transformed into a hub for technology, finance, and research and development, showcasing its significant achievements in attracting innovation and high-end industries.

Policy Tailwind Boosts Transformation and Upgrading of National-Level Industrial Parks

In recent years, the Suzhou Industrial Park has introduced a series of policy support documents for strategic key industries and talents, such as the "Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Low-Altitude Economy" and the "Action Plan for the Development of Innovation Clusters in the Integrated Circuit Industry"; as well as "Intelligent Transformation and Digital Transformation of Manufacturing" and "Relief and Recovery Development in Service Industry-Related Fields," to promote the upgrading of traditional industries and the development of emerging industries. Through the "Gazelle Enterprise Cultivation Project" and the "Unicorn Enterprise Cultivation Project," high-growth enterprises are encouraged to develop rapidly, promoting industrial innovation and cluster development. Simultaneously, the Suzhou Industrial Park has implemented talent support plans such as the "Health Talent Support Plan," the "Golden Rooster Lake Talent Plan," and the "Pinnacle Leadership" initiative to attract and retain high-end talents, enhancing the talent competitiveness of the park.

Riding the wind of regional policies, national high-tech industrial development zones and economic and technological development zones have played a significant role in promoting local economic development, fostering technological innovation, deepening reform and opening-up, advancing regional coordinated development, and achieving high-quality development.

Industry insight system data shows that Suzhou has a total of national high-tech zones and economic development zones, namely Changshu High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Changshu Economic and Technological Development Zone, Kunshan High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Kunshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Suzhou High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou Xushuguan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Taicang Port Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wujiang Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuzhong Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xiangcheng Economic and Technological Development Zone, Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone. Among them, Suzhou Industrial Park has the largest number of enterprises, close to ten thousand.

As of the year, according to the classification standard of "Scientific Research and Technology Services," nearly 10,000 new technology enterprises have been registered in national high-tech zones and economic development zones. Among them, the Suzhou Industrial Park has added a cumulative total of 10,000 new enterprises in the past five years.

Four trillion-level industrial clusters are strategically positioned, with the Suzhou Industrial Park leading the way in innovation-driven development.

It is reported that Suzhou has proposed to develop new energy as the fourth trillion-level industrial cluster after electronic information, high-end equipment, and advanced materials. Industry insight system data shows that Suzhou's key parks have all identified the four advantageous industries as key areas for cultivation. By the year, Suzhou Industrial Park aims to form billion-level industrial clusters in next-generation information technology and high-end equipment manufacturing, striving to achieve breakthroughs in the output value of four emerging industrial clusters: biomedicine and health, nanotechnology applications and new materials, artificial intelligence and digital industries, as well as new energy and green industries, reaching over 100 billion yuan. The park aims to achieve a total industrial output value of over 100 billion yuan, realizing effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity, propelling itself to surpass the 100 billion yuan mark.

From the high-frequency terms in the dominant industries, it can be seen that strategic emerging industries such as new energy, next-generation technologies, new materials, and high-end equipment manufacturing, as well as advanced manufacturing industries like biopharmaceuticals, automotive, and medical devices, have become the leading industries in multiple parks.

In terms of corporate technological innovation and R&D capabilities, Suzhou Industrial Park leads in the number of high-tech enterprises, specialized and sophisticated enterprises, gazelle enterprises, unicorn enterprises, and corporate R&D centers.

Throughout the overall industrial park layout and development in Suzhou, it not only serves as a driving force for regional economic growth but also gradually becomes a demonstration of high-quality development. In terms of regional planning, centered on the "industrial system," while maintaining the strength of traditional industries, it vigorously promotes the development of emerging industries such as new energy, intelligent manufacturing, and biomedicine, achieving a leap from a manufacturing center to an innovation-driven economy. Meanwhile, in terms of the ecological system, it has gradually improved under the leadership of high-level, core parks, and development zones, forming innovation hubs represented by the Suzhou Industrial Park, and attracting a large number of high-quality enterprises with a series of policy and resource advantages. (Zhou Xilun, Yang Xiaodi)

About Industry Insights Industry Data Platform

China Economic Information Service Shanghai Headquarters Industry Insight Industrial Data Platform, with the industrial chain map as the core, combines the traditional data platform advantages of China Economic Information Service and the advantages of Xinhua News Agency's national high-end think tank. By connecting the data relationships of "macro"-"industry"-"park"-"enterprise", it provides a closed-loop management system and operational command system for the government to promote high-quality industrial development, consisting of "industrial planning - policy supply - operational monitoring - continuous optimization". Additionally, it offers a one-stop information service from industrial research to enterprise outreach for government industrial planning and investment promotion, as well as for financial institutions' corporate customer expansion, assisting in regional industrial digital transformation and enhancing government digital governance capabilities.

The charts, data, and other information mentioned above are for reference only. For detailed information, please log in to the Industry Insight Industrial Data Platform. The final interpretation right belongs to the Shanghai Headquarters of China Economic Information Service.

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