Extracted some data from wikipedia.org gave us a idea of how the suquence of events leading to the development of a modern Suzhou industrial park :
As China's modernization drive gained momentum in the late 1980s, many Chinese delegations visited Singapore, a southeast Asian nation that achieved economic miracle within 30 years of independence. The Chinese visitors were eager to learn modern management methods, while Singapore was also planning Economic Regionalization, 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 Feb. 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 Shanghai.
Next, China's Guangdong province, with a population of 500 million people, and grew rapidly over the past 30 years is in the process for " second transformation" and economic restructiing. It is aiming for 8.5% growth for this year.
China's top economic planning agency recently released an ambitious 12-year plan to move export-dependent Guangdong 's industries up the value chain and shift the province's focus to high-end manufacturing , high technology, modern services and finance.
Last September, with a business delegation of more than 400, led by Mr WangYang, Guangdong party secretary, arriving in Singapore to boost economic cooperation between the two sides.
Singapore and Guangdong, both sides jointly will study plans to build a "knowledge City" in the southern Chinese province. Knowledge City will be driven by the corporate sector but will enjoy strong support from the Singapore Government
Mr Wang was impressed by Singapore's ability to build up a workforce that is equipped with practical skills. Being among the world's advanced countries, Singapore has done a good job at fusing the Eastern and Western cultures and able to bring out the best in that combination. Singapore SM Goh recent five-day official visit to Guangdong, hopes to understand how Singapore could add value to the province which had modernised and prospered so dramatically since his visit to Guangdong back in 1971.
With the two leaders witnessing the signing of an agreement to establish the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council, which aims to strengthen economic ties. We look forward to more economic gain for the two countries.
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