Four districts of Suzhou—Wujiang, Wuzhong, Huqiu, and Xiangcheng, have made the 2025 list of China’s top 100 districts in terms of innovation released by the CCID Consulting Urban Economic Research Center on Mar. 31. Wujiang District came in 11th on the list while Wuzhong, Huqiu, and Xiangcheng ranked 32nd, 38th and 79th. This is the first time that Xiangcheng District has entered this list.
The list assessed the innovation level of districts under the jurisdiction of prefecture-level cities across the country, excluding municipalities directly under the Central Government, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan Province and state-level new districts. It was compiled based on an urban district innovation evaluation system composed of four first-level indexes -- innovation ecology, innovation impetus, innovation entities, and innovation results -- with 16 second-level indexes.
Wujiang District is the core area of the national strategy for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and a demonstration area for the high-quality development of private enterprises. In recent years, it has actively participated in the construction of the YRD integration demonstration zone which has scaled up efforts to bring about new institutional progress. Over the five years since the establishment of the demonstration zone, the district has achieved 154 institutional breakthroughs, 48 of which have been promoted and adopted in other parts of the country.
Adhering to the innovation-driven development strategy, Wuzhong District has been striving to build itself into a district with strong industrial capabilities, focusing its efforts on building “3+2+N” key industrial clusters, creating a first-class industrial ecology and business environment, and fostering new quality productive forces in light of local conditions. In 2024, the district’s output value of industries above designated size reached 270.25 billion yuan, an increase of 5.4%, and industrial investment was 16.02 billion yuan, up by 8.1%. The output value of high-tech industries exceeded 190 billion yuan, an increase of 8%. Last year, there were 27 enterprises in Wuzhong District selected as unicorn enterprises and potential unicorn enterprises in Jiangsu Province, with the total number ranking 3rd and the growth rate ranking 1st in Suzhou City. Meanwhile, there were 17 more Wuzhong-based enterprises designated as national-level “specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative” SMEs, making the total number of new high-tech enterprises registered reach 1,867, which has witnessed a doubling over the past four years.
As one of China’s first national high-tech zones and the core area of Sunan National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone, Suzhou New District (Huqiu District) is committed to pursuing innovation-driven high-quality development. In recent years, SND has made stepped-up efforts to modernize its industrial system and optimize its industrial structure. The output value of the two leading industries of new-generation information technology and high-end equipment manufacturing exceeds 140 billion and 150 billion yuan respectively, and the output value of the three emerging industries of new energy, photonic chips & integrated circuits, and medical devices & big health has maintained an average annual growth rate of more than 30 percent. The sectors of low-altitude economy, humanoid robots, and quantum technology are ready to take off, and artificial intelligence is transforming local industries.
Aiming to achieve self-reliance in science and technology, Xiangcheng District has been striving to promote the deep integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain. Deepening the reform of scientific and technological system, it has actively seized the opportunities for the development of emerging and future industries and strived to explore a new path for industrial and urban transformation. In 2024, the district implemented its first 10-billion-level industrial project and made notable progress in building 100-billion-level industrial clusters. And the growth rate of a number of major economic indicators ranked first in the city.
