Suzhou Industrial Park Administration Committee yesterday said it has mapped out a detailed plan to attract new corporate tenants in the services sector and others in high-value-added industries to ensure sustainable growth of the industrial park.

"Suzhou Industrial Park is seeking a sustainable development by shifting attention from manufacturing to the services industry in the near future," said Gu Yukun, vice-chairman of Suzhou Industrial Park Administration Committee.

Relatively low-level manufacturing industries are seen to have a limited future because of their wasteful consumption of energy and natural resources. For that reason, the shift in focus at Suzhou Industrial Park is widely seen as setting an example for the nation in facilitating rapid development of higher-value-added industries, or hi-tech enterprises.

"Such an industry upgrade would lead to a more efficient use of resources and benefit the longer-term economic development of the industrial park," Gu said.

The yield generated by the services industry in Suzhou Industrial Park jumped by 53 percent, or 17.9 billion yuan, from 2004. The total yield of the services industry accounted for 26.3 percent of the city's gross domestic product, up 3 percent from 2004. From 2004 to 2006, a total of 3,532 services projects have been brought into the industrial park.

"The rapid and healthy development of Suzhou Industrial Park requires strong support of the services industry and other high value-added industries," said Liu Jie, director of the publicity office of Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee.

"The development of the services sector would also help improve the investment environment that would eventually benefit all other industries in the park," he said.

According to the Industrial Park Administration Committee, by 2010 employment generated by the services industry will reach 150,000, accounting for no less than 35 percent of the industrial park's total.

The capital invested in the services industry would account for at least 40 percent of the total capital invested in the park. This sector is expected to contribute about the same percentage share of the park's economic growth.

Technology innovations were also noted as the focus of the park in the future. In the next five years, the Suzhou government is expected to invest over 10 billion yuan in technology innovations to increase the competitiveness of the park in hi-tech industry.

(China Daily July 6, 2007)