Signed by Premier Li Keqiang, the State Council recently issued the "Reply to Suzhou Industrial Park Concerning Comprehensive Experiment on Opening up and Innovation" (hereinafter referred to as the Reply), approving of "the Plan of Suzhou Industrial Park to Carry Out Comprehensive Experiment on Opening up and Innovation", thus making SIP the first experimental zone in the country to conduct such experiment. 

The Reply requires that SIP should focus on and speed up the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, take initiatives in interfacing with the free trade zone and actively duplicate its successful experience, explore the establishment of a new, open-type economic system, push forward the industrial structure towards high and intermediate levels, uplift its position in the global value chain, do a better job in fostering new competitive edges in participating in international cooperation and competition, and speed up the construction of a new, internationally advanced, modernized hi-tech urban district guided by open policies and driven by innovation, with advanced system, flourishing economy, beautiful environment, and well-being of the people, and become a pioneer in building up an open-type, new economic system and provide experience for national economic and technological zones in transformation and upgrading.

It is clearly stated in the approved "plan" that SIP will aim to build an upgraded version of China's development zones, to build a world-class hi-tech industrial park, and to uplift to a higher plane the five platforms of internationalized open cooperation, demonstration of industrial optimization, demonstration of internationalized innovation-driven, demonstration of administrative reform, and demonstration of comprehensive urban management. Active efforts will be made to explore the development path of integration of opening-up with innovation, the integration of innovation with industries, and the integration of industries with urban construction so as to set a better example for the country's development zones in transformation and upgrading and to improve the internationalized open-type innovation system, speed up the clustering of high-end elements of innovation, service, and talents, make a resolute headway in international competition of innovation, give better guidance to the national demonstration zone of independent innovation in south Jiangsu Province, to follow the national strategic demand of "one belt and one road" and the Yangtze River Economic Belt and fully employ the China-Singapore cooperation advantages to expand the diverse forms of inter-city, inter-province, and international cooperation and actively disseminate the experience of SIP and implement the major development strategy of the country.

The State Council points out in the "Reply" that in carrying out comprehensive experiment of opening-up and innovation, SIP should give full play to the mechanism of China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council and the Chinese Council, and coordinate in the solving major issues in the course of the implementation of the "Plan". The "Reply" also demands that relevant departments of the State Council should observe the division of duties and implement their tasks concerned, and strengthen coordination and guidance, and give support in system innovation and policy execution.

It is stressed in the "Reply" that the People's Government of Jiangsu Province should enhance its organization and leadership in the implementation of the "plan", formulate necessary measures and assign work tasks in support of the systematic, all-round, and coordinated reform in SIP so as to secure tangible results of the experiment. The Ministry of Commerce is also demanded to keep track of and inspect the implementation of the "plan" and provide evaluation report on the implementation.