City Introduction of Jiangsu, China: Wujiang

Wujiang

Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Wujiang Economic and Social Development Report (2007)

Introduction

Wujiang, known as the “Capital of Silk”, is under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, and lies in the southern-most area of the Jiangsu Province in the Yangtze River Delta. The Great Canal stretches across the city from north to south, while the Shanghai Port, China’s largest port, is 60 km away. Geographically, Wujiang borders Shanghai to the east, Taihu Lake to the west, Hangzhou to the south and the Suzhou downtown area to the north.

Wujiang enjoys a convenient transportation system. The Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang Expressway, No. 318 National Expressway and the Suzhou-Jiading-Hangzhou Highway all run through the city, while the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and the Shanghai Pudong International Airport are only 54 km and 86 km respectively from the city to the east. The Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is 150 km away to the south. The Suzhou Station on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway lies just 22 km away to the north. 

Economic Features

The GDP in Wujiang has increased by 23.4% year-on-year to RMB 61.8 billion in 2007, ranking 10th among all the county-level cities in China, and 4th in the Jiangsu Province. The added value from the industry sector rose 22.4% year-on-year to RMB 39.4 billion, contributing 63.7% to the city’s economy.

Wujiang has formed major industries in electronic information, and silks and textiles, as well as industries in cable and optical-cable sectors. In 2007, the industrial output from these three sectors amounted to RMB 158.3 billion, accounting for 84.9% of the city’s total. Wujiang is home to the Hengli Group, one of the top five textiles-manufacturers in China; the group’s sales revenue surpassed RMB 11.2 billion in 2007.

After years of development, Wujiang has earned the title of “Capital of Cable and Optical Cable” in China. It has over 168 cable-producing lines, and 31 optical cable-producing lines, with a total production capacity accounting for one third of China’s total. The major producers include the Hengtong Group and the Yongding Group.

The total foreign trade of the city reached US$15.7 billion in 2007, up 10.2% year-on-year. The export value climbed 13.2% year-on-year to US$8 billion. Major export products are mechanical and electronic products, which totaled US$6.4 billion in 2007, occupying 79.4% of the city’s total. It has attracted 209 foreign-funded projects, with FDI hitting US$1.7 billion, and the utilized FDI reaching US$794 million.