Suzhou Industrial Park

The art sculpture of Harmony, one of the icons in Suzhou Industrial Park

Horizon Resort development in the west bank of Jin Ji Lake, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP)

The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (simplified Chinese: 中国—新加坡苏州工业园区; traditional Chinese: 中國—新加坡蘇州工業園區; pinyin: Zhōngguó—Xīnjiāpō Sūzhōu Gōngyè Yuán Qū, SIP) is an industrial park built in Suzhou, China with significant Singaporean input. In the late 1990s, the heavy losses incurred by the park caused a minor scandal in Singapore.^[1]

Background

As China's modernization drive gained momentum in the late 1980s, many Chinese delegations visited Singapore, a southeast Asian nation that achieved notable economic success within 30 years of independence. The Chinese visitors were eager to learn modern management methods, while Singapore was also planning Economic Regionalization, which focused on overseas investment.

Science & Cultural Arts Center, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP)

In 1992, the idea of developing a modern industrial township with Singapore experience was broached. During his tour of southern China that year, China's late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping said: "Singapore enjoys good social order and is well managed. We should tap on their experience, and learn how to manage better than them."

After rounds of discussions and site surveys, both governments decided to join hands in developing a modern industrial park in the east of Suzhou. The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (CS-SIP) was thus born on February 26, 1994 when Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing and Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew signed the Agreement on the Joint Development of Suzhou Industrial Park in Shanghai^[2].

SIP has a total jurisdiction area of 288 sq km, of which, the China-Singapore cooperation area covers 80 sq km with a planned residential population of 1.2 million. The China-Singapore Joint Steering Council led by Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng will hold meeting every year to give directions for the development of SIP.^[3]

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

In May 2006, Suzhou Industrial Park became the location for the first Sino-British University to be approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education when, in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University, the University of Liverpool opened a joint University known as the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). This is an independent University, offering degree courses in Electronics, Communications, Computer Science, and Management (including Financial Mathematics and E-commerce). When fully operational, this independent university will have a student population of up to ten thousand.

Suzhou New District

The park was built near-simultaneously with the competing Suzhou New District (SND) industrial park. As the Suzhou city government had only a minority (35%) stake in the SIP, while they had a major stake in SND, the city government largely ignored the SIP and concentrated on promoting the SND instead.

After incurring losses of some US$90 million over 5 years^[4], the Singapore consortium lowered its stake to 35 percent, raising the Chinese consortium's stake to 65 percent from 35 percent and reducing the Singaporean share from a planned 70 sq.km. to just 8 sq.km^[1]. The Chinese side appointed Wang Jinhua, vice-mayor of Suzhou and the former manager of the New District, as the new chief executive. 　In 2001, one year after Singapore lowered its stake, the park made its first profit of $3.8 million^[5].

See also

• Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation
• Hejian Technology Corporation

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Suzhou project: wounded pride". Ben Dolven, Far Eastern Economic Review, July 8, 1999.
2. ^ see Alexius A. Pereira (2003) State Collaboration and Development Strategies: The Case of the China Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (1992-2002). London: Routledge.
3. ^ RightSite.asia | Suzhou Industrial Park
4. ^ "Losses in Singapore Suzhou project to hit US$90 million", Agence France-Presse, September 15, 1999
5. ^ "The new frontier". Ben Dolven, Far Eastern Economic Review, December 6, 2001.

External links

• Suzhou Industrial Park Webpage
• Singapore Window: The Suzhou Saga
• XJTLU Official Site in English
• Suzhou Industrial Park Exhibition Adapting Singapore’s Experience - Commemorating the 15th anniversary of Suzhou Industrial Park, http://libguides.nl.sg/sino_singapore_sip - Singapore National Library Board (NLB), NLS Resource Guides