"The joint opening of 60 major industrial projects and functional projects will launch a new stage of rapid development and construction in the Huaqiao International Service Business Park," said Zhang Guohua at a press conference held by Huaqiao International Service Business Park to announce 60 joint construction projects and operations. The conference also served as a platform to announce major industry projects and soft environment construction. The park has attracted a total of more than 100 modern service industry key projects so far, with investments amounting to 40 billion yuan.

Wang Rong, secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee and standing Committee Member of Jiangsu Province, cut the ribbon to open five new projects: BOC Financial Business Co Ltd, (Kunshan Branch), Kunshan Sofmit Software Co Ltd, Jiangsu Start Dimei Data Processing Co Ltd. Jiangsu Ocean Data Co Ltd, and the Tangram Customer Interaction Center. The ground-breaking ceremony also saw the launch of 55 other major industrial and functional projects. Along with cutting the symbolic ribbon, Wang clicked a computer mouse to put the English version of the Park’s website into use.

Several significant breakthroughs have been made so far in the construction and development of Huaqiao International Service Business Park. Although there have been challenges due to the global economic downturn, the park has maintained a good momentum of development, with rapid construction and industrial projects centralization.

The Park has now formed four industrial groups: service outsourcing, regional headquarters economy, modern logistics and commercial service. They have also attracted a group of domestic and foreign companies to select the Park as their headquarters, such as Capgemini, Sofmit Group, China Data Group, Centrin Data Systems, and Tangram Customer Interaction Center. Up until now, the Park has introduced more than 100 large-scale modern service projects, with the total investment volume worth 40 billion yuan.

Zhang Guohua, secretary of CPC Kunshan Municipal Committee, also pointed out that the Park is facing both opportunities and challenges, including international finance reorganization opportunities, opportunities brought by Shanghai’s bid to become an international financial center and international shipping center, and opportunities of economic cooperation and trade between both sides of the Taiwan Straits. The Park aims to speed up development and construction with vim and vigor, and enhance their competitive advantage by debuting three new policies and centers, as well as establishing a financial BPO fund.

Aiming to become a successful model of economic structuring and upgrading in Suzhou and Jiangsu Province against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, the Park will perfect its industrial development environment, specialized service, infrastructure, favorable industrial policies, and professional talents, as well as speed up production, enhance its image in the region, raise efficiency in industrial gatherings, and achieve breakthroughs in systems and mechanisms.

Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Suzhou, Yan Li, extended congratulations to the successful conference on behalf of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government. “In recent years, Kunshan has been persistently making manufacturing its supporting industry and developing the service sector as a way to strengthen its economy, as well as accelerating the spanning development in the service industry.”

Yan stated that with upcoming important projects such as Global Data Solutions Limited, the Park will gain more vitality. The Suzhou Government will attach great importance to the construction of Huaqiao by providing policy support like never before.

Soft environment projects that had been brewing for a long time, such as the first financial BPO Industrial Fund in China, Huaqiao Financial Outsourcing Research Center, Customers (enterprises) Service Center, and Training and Employment Promotion Center, were launched after the release conference. Three policies were also issued: Policy for Modern Service Talents, Policy for Speeding up the Development of Service Outsourcing, and Policy for Enhancing the Development of Headquarters’ Economy. These policies concerning the soft environment could optimize the investment environment and speed up the gathering of dominant industries.

At the opening ceremony, the leading outsourcing enterprise Global Data Solutions (GDS) Ltd officially announced it would be entering the Park, unveiling its plan to establish a Huaqiao finance back-office business and ecological industry garden. After Centrin Data Systems and Capgemini, the GDS will be another high-level financial service outsourcing project introduced to the Park.

An award ceremony was also held during the conference to honor Mr. Yang Peng, CEO of China Data Group in Huaqiao, for his great contribution to the service outsourcing industry. He was awarded the title of “Pioneer of High-level Entrepreneurship and Innovation” granted by the Jiangsu Provincial Government, as well as a cash grant of 2 million yuan from the Jiangsu provincial and Kunshan municipal governments.