The Kunshan New & Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (KSND) is an important platform of independent innovation created to attract high-tech industries as part of the local government's effort to promote economic growth. In September 2010, the State Council approved KSND to be a national high-tech development zone, the first in a county-level city. Moreover, KSND is also a pilot zone for the National Intellectual Property and S&T Service System, a national business incubator for overseas Chinese experts, as well as an integral part of the national independent innovation demonstration zone in South Jiangsu. In addition, KSND has developed three industrial hubs under the national Torch Program, which are Yangcheng Lake Technology Park, Wusong River Industrial Park and New North Industrial Park.
As a national economic development zone, KSND is uniquely positioned to develop the six strategic industries (robotics and digital devices; auto parts and components; tool and die; precision machinery; electronics; renewable energy; and biomedicine) and strengthen the sectors of services associated with S&T, manufacturing and business.
KSND is home to 230 new & hi-tech enterprises and 37 experts recruited through the Recruit Program of Global Experts. It has filed over 49,000 patent applications and holds over 25,000 patents. In 2015, it reported RMB 63.8 billion in GDP; RMB 57.39 billion in fiscal income; and RMB 133.2 billion in industrial output. It's noteworthy that new & hi-tech enterprises produced 73.8% of the gross industrial output, and the total output value of new industries represents 67.3% of all industries combined.
In the future, KSND will continue to implement the five development concepts of being innovative, coordinated, green, open and sharing, so as to build a technology-driven ecological city. It will capitalize on the strategic opportunities created by the Shanghai free trade zone, the pilot zone for cross-strait industrial cooperation and the national independent innovation demonstration zone in the south of Jiangsu. KSND will continue to follow a differentiated approach, pursue “leapfrog” development, deepen reforms and promote an open innovation-driven growth model, with more emphasis placed on technology innovation, economic efficiency, balanced rural-urban planning and green development, so as to to realize coordinated progress in economic, political, social, cultural and ecological fields.