Mayor Zhou Naixiang of Suzhou met with a Japanese delegation from The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ led by President Nobuyuki Hirano on November 3.

The mayor introduced current economic and social development of the city to the guests. "Suzhou is picking up the pace of economic and industrial transformation and upgrading, and is continuously deepening reform," he said. "This is the best time for finance industry. I hope financial institutions will play an active part in the process by providing more new businesses." He also promised that the government would do its best to govern by law, to create a favorable environment for business, and to provide support to both domestic and foreign corporations.

Nobuyuki Hirano said the branch office they opened in June this year had already got more than 1,000 customers. "It's also our hope to make contributions to Suzhou's transformation and upgrading," he said.

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ is a Fortune-500 Company and one of the first foreign banks exploring Chinese market. Its Suzhou branch is based in Suzhou Industrial Park.