Time etches every step, and hard work writes a glorious chapter. Since the city's Sixth Party Congress, Suzhou's development journey has been anything but ordinary. The entire city anchored its efforts on the ambitious goal of "building a city of one core, two districts, and three bases, striving to break into the national top 100 cities, and comprehensively constructing a modern new Suzhou." By pressing forward under pressure, overcoming difficulties with determination, prioritizing action, and striving for excellence, the city has achieved new progress in comprehensive strength, new improvements in urban-rural integration, enhanced public welfare, and a renewed spirit of work ethic, marking solid strides in constructing a modern new Suzhou.
As the Seventh Party Congress approaches, this platform is launching a special column to showcase these accomplishments. Through words and images, we will revisit the dynamic practices of Suzhou's reform and development over the past five years, gathering the collective strength for united struggle from this new starting point. Five years ago, mentioning Suzhou conjured images of sweet Dangshan pears and golden wheat waves across the Huanghuai plains. Five years later, this traditional agricultural region in northern Anhui has carved out a remarkable path of industrial transformation. Its GDP has climbed six 10-billion-yuan steps, surpassing the 250 billion yuan mark. The output value of strategic emerging industries has doubled to account for 22.6% of total industrial output above designated size. The city's first A-share listed company emerged, transitioning from zero breakthroughs to a dual-board structure comprising both the ChiNext and the main board. Quietly and steadily, Suzhou has accomplished something significant.
Not Chasing the "Chip Summit," Yet Screwing Itself Into the National Industrial Chain
At the end of 2023, Suzhou launched the "5512" industrial project with a pragmatic goal: to maximize what northern Anhui does best. As a result, the scale of ten key industries has exceeded 300 billion yuan, while twelve major distinctive industrial clusters have surpassed 50 billion yuan in scale. The city became the first in the province to achieve full coverage of distinctive industrial clusters at the county level. Bearings, new materials, pharmaceutical chemicals, green food—each of these "screws" has been firmly integrated into the national industrial chain landscape.
One Tiny Ball Bearing That Rotates an Entire County's Economy
Lingbi was once renowned for its ornamental stones. Today, its calling card is bearings. Ceramic balls just 0.1 millimeters in diameter, with hardness rivaling that of diamond, are now exported to over 80 countries and regions. More than 80 bearing enterprises have clustered here, with an annual output value surpassing 5 billion yuan, advancing steadily toward a 10-billion-yuan industrial base. Xiaoxian County, leveraging its reputation as the "Number One County for Anti-Corrosion," is forging a provincial-level cluster of functional new materials. In the eastern chemical park of the Suzhou Economic Development Zone, over 50 pharmaceutical and chemical enterprises have formed a complete value chain. These county-level distinctive clusters have become the hottest engines of Suzhou's industrial economy.
Computing Power Hums: A "Smokeless Money Tree" Takes Root in Northern Anhui
Suzhou may not have rivers or sea access, but it has seized the computing power advantage. Four major computing centers have been completed, with intelligent computing capacity reaching 2077.8P—ranking among the top three in the province—and seamlessly connecting to the Yangtze River Delta computing network. Today, 400 industrial enterprises above designated size have completed digital transformation, and "Cloud Capital Suzhou" has flown from blueprint to reality.
A Bell Rings at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange: Suzhou's A-Share "Zero Breakthrough"
On August 28, 2024, Jialiqi landed on the ChiNext board, becoming Suzhou's first A-share listed company. On February 10, 2026, Linping Development was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's main board. Within just 18 months, Suzhou established a dual-board pattern encompassing both the ChiNext and the main board. Behind these successes lies a supportive system: R&D subsidies, cultivation programs for specialized and innovative enterprises, and a talent ladder for "little giant" companies. Currently, Suzhou boasts 11 national-level "little giant" enterprises, 19 provincial-level specialized champions, and 252 provincial-level specialized and innovative SMEs.
New Tracks Are Already Being Paved: Pet Economy, Balcony Economy, and Outdoor Economy
The city has issued the nation's first pet industry development plan, with a 200 million yuan industrial fund making precise investments. Balcony economy and outdoor economy have also been incorporated into the industrial blueprint. These "light tracks," close to everyday life and quick to generate returns, are injecting fresh vitality into the city.
As the 15th Five-Year Plan Opens, Suzhou Sets Its Sights on the National Top 100 Cities
In January, the Sixth Session of the Sixth People's Congress of Suzhou clearly outlined the development blueprint for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, explicitly aiming for new breakthroughs in building the "one city, two districts, three bases," sprinting toward the national top 100 cities, and comprehensively constructing a modern new Suzhou. The goal is to attain economic output leading northern Anhui and incremental growth ranking among the province's forefront. Low-altitude economy and future industries have already begun to take shape—deep cooperation with Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation is underway, and a low-altitude economy industrial base is being planned. Five years ago, Suzhou's keywords were "major agricultural city" and "follower." Today, its word cloud has been completely rewritten: computing power, composites, bearings, doubled strategic emerging industries, full cluster coverage, A-share listings. Urban transformation is never an overnight myth.
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