Suzhou promotes green, smooth industrial and supply chains with digital economy

ASEAN Plus Three (10+3) Forum on Industrial Chain and Supply Chain Cooperation kicked off in Suzhou on Friday, its sub-forum on digital economy under the spotlight. Suzhou, as a global industrial city advantageous in the open economy, shared new ways to promote digital infrastructure construction, innovative application of digital technologies and green development of industrial chain and supply chain in the region, according to the Organizing Committee of ASEAN Plus Three Forum.

Suzhou boasts a sound industrial ecosystem and business environment. In recent years, the city has been making active efforts to promote the development of the digital economy, digital transformation, green and quality development by strengthening digital thinking and the philosophy of green development. In 2021, the value added of core industries in the digital economy hit 330 billion yuan ($48.84billion), accounting for 14.6% of the city’s GDP. More than 10,000 projects have completed intelligent transformation and digital reforming. Meanwhile, information technology, biomedicine and other pioneering industries have been actively laid out.

Three production bases of Panasonic in China have achieved net-zero emissions through digital transformation and green development, according to Zhao Bingdi, director and president of Panasonic China investing and building factories in Suzhou for many years. By 2050, Panasonic can reduce 110 million tons of CO2 emissions.

Suzhou is the hub for Japanese and South Korean investment in China. It is home to 2,794 companies funded by ASEAN member states, 2,987 Japan-invested companies and 2,452 ROK-invested companies, with their direct investment for actual use reaching $15.01 billion, $13.71 billion, and $5.93 billion respectively.

Suzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission said in a five-year development plan for the city that it will continue to implement the strategy of digital transformation to build Suzhou into a first-class, globally renowned hub for the development of the digital economy in China.

Source: The Organizing Committee of ASEAN Plus Three Forum