China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park

China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park
苏州工业园区
District

Horizon Resort development in the west bank of Jinji Lake
Country China
Province Jiangsu
Prefecture Suzhou
Area
 • Total 288 km2 (111 sq mi)
Population c. 1,200,000
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Website http://www.sipac.gov.cn/english/

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), or Suzhou Industrial Park for short, abbreviated as SIP, is a county-level administrative area located in Suzhou, China with significant Singaporean influence. In the late 1990s, the heavy losses incurred by the park caused a scandal in Singapore.[1]

Background

The art sculpture of Harmony, one of the icons in Suzhou Industrial Park
Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre

As China's modernisation 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 Regionalisation, which focused on overseas investment. 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 Suzhou.[2]

SIP has a total jurisdiction area of 288 km2, of which, the China-Singapore cooperation area covers 80 km2 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]

Jinji Lake (literally Golden Chicken Lake) is a small fresh water lake located in the central part of Suzhou Industrial Park. It occupies an area of 7.18 square kilometres and its average depth is about 2.5 to 3 metres. There are two man-made islands in the lake.[4]

Dushu Lake Higher Education Town

North Campus, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, architects: Perkins+Will

For education in SIP there is Suzhou Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, one of the government's key projects. Located east of Dushu Lake, it has a total area of 25 km2, and expects to have around 400,000 people by 2016, 100,000 of whom will be students. Its goal is to offer good education, advanced technology, and a pleasant living environment. The area is home to many universities (undergraduate as well as graduate schools) including local Chinese universities and universities from other countries. This community focuses on producing educated and creative people.[5] The area offers facilities including libraries, entertainment venues, parks, a sports centre and accommodation. Wenxing Plaza and Hanlin Plaza are popular locations of many small restaurants and shops. Dushu Lake Library is an experimental library of the National Digital Library.

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

In May 2006, Suzhou Industrial Park's Higher Education Town 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 Architecture, 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

SIP 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 SIP and concentrated on promoting the SND instead.

After incurring losses of some US$90 million over 5 years,[6] 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 km2. to just 8 km2.[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.[7]

Nearby hotels list

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "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. ↑ "Suzhou Industrial Park". RightSite.asia. 1994-02-26. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  4. ↑ "金鸡湖景区" (in Chinese). Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  5. ↑ "苏州独墅湖高等教育区". Sipedi.com. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  6. ↑ "Losses in Singapore Suzhou project to hit US$90 million", Agence France-Presse, September 15, 1999
  7. ↑ "The new frontier". Ben Dolven, Far Eastern Economic Review, December 6, 2001.

External links

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