Vital Statistics (2006)
GDP: RMB 330 billion
GDP per Capita: RMB57, 709
Economic Growth Rate: 15.3%
Population: 2.62 million (urban) 1.96 million (rural)
FDI: US$2.75 billion
Annual Average Wage: RMB 29,658
Government Effectiveness Rating: 60th
2006 Chinese Cities Competitive Rating: 7th

Economic Overview
Wuxi, also named''Liangxi'', is a famous city with a long history in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Three thousand years ago, Taibo, the eldest son of the Emperor Zhouwu in the Western Zhou Dynasty came here, set up the State of Gouwu and created the Wu culture. Wuxi is a sparkling pearl on the Taihu Lake situated in the southern part of Jiangsu Province. The city also sits halfway along the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway line, with Taihu Lake to the south and the Yangtze River to the north.

Dubbed ''Little Shanghai'' due to its robust economic development, Wuxi is also recognized as a city of prosperity in Southeast China and is an open city with a thriving economy and frequent exchanges with the outside world. Wuxi welcomes all visitors and investors from around the world. The city was ranked 4th by Forbes magazine in their poll of Chinese commercial cities and ranked 15th among the 25 Chinese cities with the greatest potential; a report prepared by the UN in 2006.

In 2006, Wuxi's GDP was 330 billion RMB. Of that, the industrial output of the primary industries was 5.13 billion RMB; that of secondary industries was 196.87 billion RMB; and that of the tertiary sector was 128 billion RMB. GDP per capita reached 57,709 RMB. The city's GDP ranked 9th in China and the city completed fixed asset investment of 147.49 billion RMB in 2006 as well.

Economic Contribution Ratios by Sector
In 2006, the economic contribution ratio of the primary industries including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and the fisheries, represented 1.6% of GDP; the economic contribution ratio of the secondary and value-added industries and construction represented 50.7%; while the economic contribution ratio of the tertiary sector represented 38.8%.

Composition of GDP (%)
 

Sector	1990	2000	2006
Primary	10.9	3.9	1.6
Secondary	67.1	58.7	59.7
Tertiary	22.0	37.4	38.8

Foreign Trade Overview
In 2006, Wuxi realized a total import and export volume of US$39.18 billion, including US$17.74 billion in imports and US$21.44 billion in exports. There were 4,517 import and export enterprises including 30 with volume over US$100 million. Exports from foreign-invested enterprises are rapidly increasing, reaching US$15.54 billion and accounting for 72.5% of the total export value in 2006, up by 40.4% from the previous year.

Major Import and Export Countries for Wuxi 2006 (billion USD)
 

Nation/region	Exported value	Imported value
US	3.71	1.51
EU	3.83	2.02
Hong Kong	3.17	0.23
Japan	2.84	5.22
ASEAN	2.17	2.98
South Korea	1.42	2.29
Taiwan	0.45	0.14

Foreign Trade and Cultural Ties
After reform and opening up, Wuxi actively conducted economic and cultural exchanges with foreign cities. By August 2007, 18 cities from 15 nations have established sister city relationships with Wuxi.

Wuxi's Sister Cities
 

Nation	City	Date
Japan	Akashi	1981.08.29
USA	Chattanooga	1982.10.12
Japan	Sagamihara	1985.10.06
New Zealand	Hamilton	1986.07.05
Portugal	Cascais	1993.09.14
Slovenia	Novo Mesto	1994.05.06
Canada	Scarborough	1996.04.10
Brazil	Belo Horizonte	1996.11.18
Britain	Oldham	1999.09.07
Japan	Fujioka	2000.04.28
Germany	Leverkusen	2005.06.13
South Korea	Gimhae	2005.12.14
Italy	Vicenza	2006.01.25
Germany	Ladingen	2006.08.01
Belgium	Kortrijk	2006.12.20
Philippine	Puerto Princessa	2007.02.06
France	Nimes	2007.04.05
Sweden	Sodertalie	2007.05.08

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