Time:                    5:30 – 9:30 pm, May 9, 2008 (Friday)

Venue:                  Hunsaker Room, Hotel@MIT (Lemeridien)

http://www.lemeridien.com/cambridge

Format:                Meeting, Banquet and Networking

Dress code:          Formal preferred

Registration fee:    $15 (Complementary dinner included)

Registration site:    http://shopmit.mit.edu/stores7.0/etf/index.html

 “Kunshan Day” is an event organized by MIT ETF.  The mission of the event includes:

• Promotion of business/entrepreneurship opportunities in Kunshan (Jiangsu, China) and Shanghai suburb area.
• Recruitment for advanced positions in Kunshan.
• Business/entrepreneurship experience shared with Chinese entrepreneurs.
• Networking with Chinese and Cambridge high rank government officials, Chinese entrepreneurs, working professionals, representatives from over 5 business associations, and representatives from over 10 universities.

 Tentative agenda:

• Speeches by Mayor of Kunshan, official of Chinese Consulate, Mayor of Cambridge (to be confirmed), and MIT ETF.

• Promotion of business/entrepreneurship and recruitment. (Banquet being served).
• Business/entrepreneurship experience shared by Chinese entrepreneurs.
• Networking

 For local attendees, the event would be informative and precious platform of knowing better how to start/develop business in China, finding out potential opportunities for personal career development, and socializing with people from various resources of both China and America.  We hope attendees enjoy the meeting, networking, and food during the event.

 A Brief Introduction to Kunshan

Located between Shanghai and Suzhou, Kunshan is the gate of Jiangsu in the east of China.  With 650,000 permanent residents, Kunshan covers an area of 729 square km and has jurisdiction over ten towns, one national economic and technological development zone and three provincial development zones.

Kunshan boasts rich cultural legacy in its long history.  It is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, which was listed as “A Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  Zhou Zhuang of Kunshan is famous around the world as China’s No.1 waterfront town.  Kunshan is also the hometown of Gu Yanwu (a great Chinese philosopher in late Ming dynasty and early Qing Dynasty), Wang An (a master in the U.S. computer business) and Fei Junlong (an astronaut of China’s Shenzhou 6 Manned Aircraft).

Since China’s reform and opening-up, Kunshan has risen to the wave of international industrial capital shift and has formed an open economic development pattern.  Up to now, investors from 55 countries and regions have established over 5300 companies and projects here, with a contractual investment of 20 billion US dollars.  26 enterprises of the world Top 500 Transnational Corporations have put in place 52 projects in Kunshan, including Caterpillar and Prologis from US, Alcatel from France, Danisco from Denmark, Gazeley from the UK, Kone Elevator from Finland, Sigma Coatings and DSM from Holland, Tetra Pak and Alfa Laval from Sweden, Itochu, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Toyota, NSK and Suntory from Japan.  

Through our premium business communities like National Economic and Technological Development Zone, Export Processing Zone, Provincial New High-tech Development Zone, Huaqiao Business Service Park and Kunshan Tourism Resort, Kunshan takes electronics and information and precision machinery as its leading industry and focuses on some emerging industries including opto-electrical industry, solar energy, new material and bio-technology.  Kunshan is an engine house of electronics and information industry for China and even the world.  Over 800 electronics and information enterprises have invested 10 billion US dollars in Kunshan.  In 2007, the output value of Kunshan IT industry totaled 183.2 billion RMB (Chinese currency) and nearly 40 million laptop computers were produced in Kunshan, covering 40% of the productivity of the world market.

In 2007, Kunshan’s GDP reached 115.2 billion RMB, total government revenue 20.2 billion RMB, total industry output value 403.1 billion RMB and foreign trade volume 53.4 billion US dollars.  In terms of comprehensive assessment of economic and social development, Kunshan has been ranked No.1 among all China’s county-level cities for two consecutive years.

Kunshan has been honored with a number of titles such as National Ecological City, National Hygienic City, National Environmental Protection Exemplary City, National Gardening City, China Top Tourist City, National Cultural Advancement County (City), Best Chinese Glamorous City, etc.  It ranks the first in terms of innovation in all the county-level cities in China.  In 2007, China’s Best Habitat Prize was added to Kunshan’s glory list.