Something is up this summer in Wuxi. The heat of 2023, coupled with a local spirit of entrepreneurship and, it has to be said, some smart government thinking, has generated a perfect storm in which foreign enterprises are literally queuing to join the party.
今年夏天，无锡发生了一些事情。 2023年的炎热天气，再加上当地的创业精神，不得不说，还有一些聪明的政府思维，引发了一场完美风暴，外资企业纷纷排队入党。
First up was the Chinese headquarters for Atlas Copco’s industrial compressor R&D centre in Wuxi. The Swedish giant put a total investment of nearly ¥3 billion in to the deal made public on 26 June.
首先亮相的是位于无锡的阿特拉斯·科普柯工业压缩机中国总部研发中心。这家瑞典巨头在 6 月 26 日公布的交易中总投资额近 30 亿日元。
Then just 3 days later, the German Nobilia/Raumplus Asia Pacific Production R&D Headquarters project saw the light of day in Wuxi, with a total investment of €200 million.
仅仅三天后，总投资达2亿欧元的德国Nobilia/Raumplus亚太生产研发总部项目在无锡破土动工。
But Wuxi was far from done. Japanese sweetened-probiotic milk beverage, Yakult, opened its second factory in Wuxi on 14 July. Cue another US$300 million into the Wuxi coffers.
但无锡的目标还远未完成。日本甜味益生菌乳饮料益力多于7月14日在无锡开设了第二家工厂。暗示无锡金库又将有3亿美元流入。
Then, as this publication reported at the time, 18 July saw the launch of the Chinese-French (Wuxi) Industrial Cooperation Park, aiming to be the preferred destination for French companies coming to China.
随后，正如本报当时报道的那样，7月18日，中法（无锡）产业合作园启动，旨在成为法国企业来华的首选目的地。
So what has brought all this about in a city that 3 decades ago was a provincial backwater?
那么，是什么导致了这座30年前还是省级落后城市的这一切呢？
Taking Wuxi High-tech Zone as an example, an insistence therefrom to link global resources through opening up to the outside world has been a key driver. The Zone has also intensified efforts to attract foreign capital, and strengthened exchanges and cooperation with foreign companies.
以无锡高新区为例，坚持通过对外开放链接全球资源是一个关键动力。园区还加大引进外资力度，加强与国外企业的交流与合作。
While well aware that global trade has been impacted in recent years, Wuxi High-tech Zone clearly understands that European and American companies still lead the way in terms of capital, industry, technology and talent. Their investment into Wuxi creates opportunities for employment and innovation. That’s a powerful lever for economic development.
无锡高新区深知近年来全球贸易受到冲击，但也清醒地认识到，欧美企业在资金、产业、技术、人才等方面仍处于领先地位。他们对无锡的投资创造了就业和创新的机会。这是经济发展的强大杠杆。
No wonder then that as soon as COVID controls were relaxed, Wuxi High-tech Zone was on a plane. In the early morning of 6 January, a delegation set off on its first overseas investment promotion for quite some time. An 8-day trip saw visits to more than 50 companies and the inking of deals worth over US$1 billion.
难怪新冠疫情管控一放松，无锡高新区就飞上了飞机。 1月6日一大早，代表团就开始了许久以来的首次海外招商推介活动。为期8天的行程，参观了50多家企业，签署了价值超过10亿美元的交易。
Then, just after the Spring Festival, they were back at it, travelling to 10 cities in Spain, Belgium and Germany, to contact and cooperate with European high-tech enterprises and scientific research institutions.
随后，春节刚过，他们又重新出发，奔赴西班牙、比利时、德国等10个城市，与欧洲高科技企业和科研机构进行接触与合作。
Hong Kong and Macau were next in February, as Sohu has reported. The 2023 Wuxi-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Industry Integration and Development Exchange Conference saw, on paper at least, another ¥7.5 billion on the table.
据搜狐报道，香港和澳门是二月份的第二个。 2023年无锡-香港科技创新产业融合发展交流会至少在纸面上又增加了75亿元人民币。
But something has in fact always been up in Wuxi. It’s just that the rest of the world didn’t know about it.
但事实上，无锡一直在发生一些事情。只是世界其他地方并不知道这件事。
A Chinese expression states that like-minded people are never far away from mountains and waters. Wuxi has ample of all three, as well as a history of its people being entrepreneurs.
中国有句话说，志同道合者，不远山近水。无锡拥有这三者，并且拥有企业家的历史。
During its 30-year history, Wuxi High-tech Zone has gathered approximately 1,800 foreign-invested enterprises of various types. Fully 68 of the world’s top 500 companies have invested in 126 projects in Wuxi, while foreign companies contribute some 70 percent of the region’s total industrial output value.
30年来，无锡高新区已聚集各类外商投资企业约1800家。世界500强企业中有68家在无锡投资了126个项目，外资企业贡献了全区工业总产值的70%左右。
Speaking at the 18 July launch of the Chinese-French (Wuxi) Industrial Cooperation Park was Consul General of France in Shanghai, Joan Valadou. “Wuxi occupies an important strategic position in the Yangtze River Delta region, with strong industrial strength, strong innovation drive and profound cultural heritage. It has always been a highly valued partner of France”, said Valadou.
法国驻上海总领事 Joan Valadou 在 7 月 18 日中法（无锡）产业合作园启动仪式上发表讲话。 “无锡在长三角地区占有重要的战略地位，产业实力雄厚，创新动力强劲，文化底蕴深厚，一直是法国高度重视的合作伙伴。”瓦拉杜说。
And adding that he hoped the Park will accelerate cooperation between Wuxi and France as to low-carbon transformation efforts underscored the urgency of the task at hand, given the climate-change-induced heat waves in many parts of the world during this, the summer of 2023.
他还补充说，鉴于2023年夏季气候变化引发的热浪席卷全球，他希望园区能够加快无锡与法国在低碳转型方面的合作，这突显了当前任务的紧迫性。
