Suzhou in Eastern China is becoming a home away from home for global industry leaders with its welcoming business and lifestyle environment.
At the state-of-the-art China campus of German industrial giant Bürkert Fluid Control Systems in Suzhou’s Taicang area, a lively discussion on precision tooling and advanced materials is underway among a group of young apprentices. They are the heart of an innovative three-year program that blends technical education with hands-on experience. Graduates earn both Germany’s prestigious dual system accreditation and a local Chinese certification. Since launching in 2001, more than 10,000 skilled technical and management professionals have completed the program.
Harald Schmidt, Bürkert’s Director of Global Production, explains that “Many of the young apprentices training at our facility will go on to work here full-time after graduation.” Adding that this brings both stability and room for sustained operational growth.
The apprenticeship program represents a dramatic shift in the changes since Bürkert entered Suzhou in 1998. Mr Schmidt explains: “In the beginning, we had to bring expertise about production and technology to China. Now we are bringing Chinese expertise and Chinese speed back to Germany, to become more competitive.”
Many European companies and business leaders are now recognizing the potential of Suzhou. UK inventor and tech entrepreneur Athan Fox recently embarked on a fact-finding tour of Suzhou. He was also deeply impressed by the relative speed and efficiency of gaining approval and moving from idea to production in Suzhou. He expected to find affordable, high-quality ‘scaling up’ opportunities. More than that, he discovered a hotbed of innovation where ideas, processes, talent and resources come together to deliver exceptional industrial value.
From his trip, Mr Fox observed that “in order to stay ahead of the game, their global strategy must include China and must involve Suzhou.” Adding: “I hope that some of my fellow entrepreneurs…will begin to think of scale and speed and location, through a slightly different lens than we are used to.”
Spanish-owned HRC Group, a carbon fiber specialist, is another company that has recognized the strengths of Suzhou. There R&D and manufacturing facilities are located in Suzhou’s northern port area of Changshu, alongside hundreds of Japanese and American enterprises such as Sharp and Dupont. HRC has experienced a steady increase in demand for ultra-light components from nearby auto makers, as consumer tastes shift toward more premium models. Aside from car components, the company also works with drone manufacturers aiming to move ever more people and goods in the burgeoning low-altitude economy, and even maintains a specialized plant where sections of large passenger planes are fabricated.
HRC Marketing Manager Chen Wenjin explains that this location, just one hour from Shanghai and close to numerous suppliers and clients, was a perfect fit for their China strategy. She notes that Suzhou authorities are efficient, proactive and supportive when dealing with companies in key strategic fields. “Suzhou is known as one of the strongest industrial cities in China, and they’re very supportive for some of the pillar industries, supporting you in taxes and tariffs, and they organize different events to help you line up with upstream and downstream companies too,” she shares.
Suzhou’s healthy environment for business is not a new trend. It served as capital for the Wu Kingdom during China’s warring states period over two thousand years ago, hosting traditional industries such as silk and fabrics alongside a thriving arts and culture scene.
More recently, the landmark 1994 launch of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park kicked off a process of deepening supply chains and broadening industry clusters that have become the hallmark of the city’s economic development.
This has led to leading competencies and high levels of self-sufficiency in areas such as embodied artificial intelligence, advanced pharmaceuticals, and hi-tech materials. According to Suzhou municipal government sources, the robotics industry exceeds 160 billion yuan in scale, accounting for one-seventh of nationwide industrial robot production by value.
As well as the contemporary and historical business strengths, the popularity of Suzhou as a place to live makes it popular amongst business leaders. HRC’s Ms Chen identifies a rich selection of high-quality schools, great work-life balance, and access to green spaces such as Shanghu Lake and Mt. Yushan as elements of life in Suzhou that enable her European colleagues to really call this city home.
On his trip, Mr Fox was struck by the interwoven nature of traditional and ultra-modern elements that make up modern Suzhou life: “Suzhou is famous for its classical gardens, its ancient canals, but it’s also building more modern spaces. We’ve seen spaces for technology and innovation, and here we are in a very public space where people can come together, surrounded by all of this history.”
All these factors – a wealth of talent and resources, proximity to suppliers and markets, the formation of complex industrial clusters, and the underpinnings of a high quality of life for investors and employees alike – have worked together to keep Suzhou ranked as one of China’s “Cities with the Best Reputation for Business Environment” for the last six years. With over one million registered enterprises and a blistering 7.4% growth in combined overseas imports and exports in 2025, Suzhou’s growth story shows no sign of slowing down. Just as this magical city’s cultural and economic significance is the result of many generations ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’, so it is with her industrial development and her unending quest for a more innovative tomorrow.
A growing number of global firms will no doubt heed the call that Suzhou is open for business, when looking to establish their home away from home in China.
By Alex McCutcheon and He Yingjie, additional reporting by Chai Haoran, Luo Chen, and Wan Yasong.
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