The Changshu Economic and Technological Development Zone was established in August 1992. In November 1993, it was approved by the provincial government as one of the first 11 provincial-level development zones, and in November 2010, it was upgraded to a national-level economic and technological development zone. It is home to Changshu Port, one of the top ten inland river ports in China, and houses the national-level Changshu Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the Changshu International Logistics Park.In 2022, the region achieved a regional GDP of 118.4 billion yuan, public budget revenue of 7.52 billion yuan, and total industrial output value of 311.9 billion yuan. Among these, the core area (the Yangtze River section) generated general budget revenue of 3.185 billion yuan, achieved a total industrial output value of 132.6 billion yuan for enterprises above designated size, and attracted 355 million USD in foreign direct investment. It ranked 6th in the province-wide comprehensive evaluation of scientific development among economic and technological development zones.

After years of development, the Changshu Economic and Technological Development Zone has developed several key characteristics.First, its open economy is thriving. Leveraging its geographical advantages of being “adjacent to the river and the port,” as well as its transportation network featuring the Coastal Expressway, the Yangtze River High-Speed Railway, and the Tongcheng Elevated Road, the zone has attracted 641 foreign-invested enterprises from more than 20 countries and regions. Total foreign investment has reached $45.6 billion, with 59 projects funded by 29 Fortune Global 500 companies, including five mega-projects with total investments exceeding 10 billion yuan.Second, the manufacturing sector has a solid foundation. Since the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the zone has attracted complete vehicle projects such as Chery Jaguar Land Rover and has gathered more than 70 automotive parts enterprises, including Sumitomo, Meiqiao, Nobo, and Hua’an Gangbaoli. This has formed distinctive manufacturing clusters centered on automobiles and parts, fine chemicals, power and energy, high-end papermaking, offshore engineering equipment, and special steel.Plans have been made to develop specialized open platforms with a total floor area of 1.8 million square meters, including the Luxshare Smart Technology Industrial Park, Hengtong International Marine Industrial Park, Yangtze River Delta (Changshu) International Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park, and Sound Valley Innovation Acceleration Center. Third, the logistics industry is developing rapidly. Changshu Port, a national Class I open port, has constructed more than 20 terminals and 59 berths,including 24 berths with a capacity of 10,000 tons or more. It maintains trade and shipping links with 592 international ports worldwide, gradually establishing specialized cargo types such as steel, pulp, and chemical products. As a key transshipment hub for steel imports and exports in the Yangtze River Delta region and the nation’s second-largest pulp distribution port, it is accelerating its integration into the Suzhou Port integrated development system and undergoing a comprehensive transformation into a “specialized industrial port, logistics and trade port, science and technology innovation port, and green ecological port.”Fourth, the aggregation of science and technology innovation resources. Full efforts are being made to build a major engine for the integrated development of industry and innovation—Suzhou·China Sound Valley. The city has attracted 10 high-level research teams led by academicians and national-level talents, established high-end innovation platforms such as the International Institute of Acoustics, the National Integration Center, and the Changshu Innovation Base of the Suzhou Industrial Research Institute, and gathered 150 acoustics-related industrial and innovation projects with a total investment exceeding 27 billion yuan.Leveraging the “National-Level Science and Technology Enterprise Incubator”—the Changshu Science and Technology Innovation Park—we have established the Changshu Elite Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, which brings together elite talent from home and abroad. To date, it has attracted more than 400 domestic and international technology projects and over 200 leading talent teams.Fifth, urban functions have been enhanced. Focusing on the integrated development of industry, city, and people, and adhering to the concept of innovative districts, we are comprehensively building an international, modern, and eco-friendly riverside new city. High-end urban facilities such as the Sound Valley Science and Technology Innovation Center, the Economic Development Zone Cultural and Sports Center, the Riverside Meiju Hotel, and the Jiangnan Impression Commercial Street are being developed to create an open city integrating port, industry, and urban life; an innovation-driven city led by technology; a smart city at the forefront of fashion; and a beautiful, livable ecological city.