Opening-up pivotal to Wuxi's development over the past decade

Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province has experienced robust economic development over the past 10 years, said authorities at a news conference on Sept 20.

The foreign trade value of the city exceeded $100 billion for the first time in 2021 to $105.7 billion, 1.5 times the figure in 2012 while its actual utilization of foreign capital reached $35.53 billion in 2021.

Wuxi has forged sister-city relations with 50 cities from 28 countries to date and the latest edition of the Wuxi International Sister Cities Forum was broadcast in over 20 countries in five languages, according to Ye Zheng, deputy director of Wuxi's foreign affairs office.

The city has invested in 1,157 overseas projects. The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone in Cambodia, for example, has attracted 170 enterprises and institutions from China and other countries, and created nearly 30,000 jobs.

Wuxi currently has 7,200 foreign-invested enterprises and 11,329 local enterprises are engaged in trading with other countries and regions.

To better cater to the demands of the increasing number of expats, Wuxi will further improve infrastructure facilities over the following years, noted Ye.

For example, major public places and service institutions in the city will be equipped with signs and voice service systems in different languages, outstanding international medical institutions will be brought in, and support will be provided for the establishment of international schools and international communities.