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

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   Caption: The Gate of the Orient in Suzhou