The 11th session of the Chinese side of SIP China-Singapore Joint Steering Council was held in S\uhou on Feb. 28. Vice-premier Wu Yi, the Chinese Chairperson of the Council, attended the meeting and made a speech. Other attendees included the Council Members Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce, Li Changjiang, Director of National Quality Inspection Bureau, Sheng Guangxu, Party Secretary and Vice-director of National Customs Administration, Liang Baohua, Secretary of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, Luo Zhijun, Governor of Jiangsu Province, and Zhang Weiguo, Vice-governor of Jiangsu, and other specially invited deputies to the meeting. Wang Rong, Executive Member of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and Secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee, and Ma Xiuhong, Vice-minister of Commerce, made work reports and explanatory remarks at the meeting. After the session, the attendees made a general survey of SIP, accompanied by Yan Li, Deputy Secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee and Mayor of Suzhou, Wang Jinhua, Deputy Secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee, Chairman of Municipal Political Consultative Conference, and Secretary of SIP Party Working Committee, and Wang Shaodong, Executive Member and Secretary-general of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee. Also present during the survey was Xu Guoqiang, Executive Member and Director of Publicity Department of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee.

At the meeting, Wu Yi gave affirmative assessment of the achievements in SIP development, and gave high appraisal to the ecological environment, excellent service, and high-quality contingents of talents in SIP. She said, "Since the start of SIP in 1994, SIP has persevered in opening to the outside world, and chartered a road of scientific, integrated, harmonious, and sustainable development and opened up a new mode of Sino-foreign economic and technological cooperation with mutual benefit through high-level planning, intensified financial input, high-standard development and construction, and selective marketing for investment. SIP has become an important showcase for China?s achievements in opening up."

Wu points out that SIP has adapted and applied the successful experience of Singapore in its development in conjunction with specific conditions in China and the local region, and has gathered much useful experience applicable to the reform and opening up in other regions. She says that, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of China's reform opening up, it is necessary to summarize the advanced concept, mechanism, the achievements in technological innovation, and new mode of development in SIP so that more regions, especially national development zones, will benefit from the SIP experience.

Wu Yi made four points of requirement for the future work of SIP: To make new explorations in deepening reform and build up an adequate management and operation mechanism suited to international practice and socialist market-driven economic system; To accumulate new experience in expanding the opening up, and give greater play to the special characteristics and the advantage of China-Singapore cooperation, and raise the level and extend the scope of such cooperation; To play a new and exemplary role in scientific development and independent innovation, give priority to industrial upgrading and attention to coordinated development of advanced manufacturing industries and modern service industry, and more attention to resource conservation and environmental protection, and actively build up a more open, vibrant, and more harmonious development system; To make new contributions to the regional, harmonious development and to the promotion of faster development of the surrounding regions and the Central and Western Regions.

Vice-premier Wu Yi also visited the exhibition of SIP development achievements, and inspected SIP Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Outlets Shopping Center, and Suzhou Museum.