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document.writeln("The development of SIP began in May 1994. With the support of both governments, SIP has achieved a rapid growth of about 50%. The Phase 1 development has created an investment environment comparable to international standards. In 2001, SIP's GDP, financial revenue, and trade volume have increased by 39%, 33.6% and 47.8% respectively. As at end of April 2003, SIP has attracted a total of 1097 Foreign Invested Enterprises (FIEs), a cumulative total contractual investment of US$13.66 billion and utilized contractual investment of US$5.78 billion making it the most popular development zone. 51 fortune 500 companies located in SIP. There are 25 projects with total investment exceeding US$100 million. In SIP, the average investment per project is US$35 million, which is the highest figure in China. <br><br>Many of the FIEs have achieved favorable returns. The percentage of companies that have commenced operations exceeds 70%. Almost all the companies who had been in operations for over 2 years are profitable. One in four have recovered their investments. Over one third of the companies have increased their total investments. The total increase exceeds US$3 billion. Recently a number of companies in the SIP enjoyed significant increase in profits, for example, Andrew Telecommunications and Solectron has had over US$10 million profits.<br><br>SIP has become the fastest growing and most competitive industrial park in China. It has also received high praises from various local and overseas observers. In Taiwan, the Industrial and Commercial Times, and numerous media and trade organizations have assessed SIP to have a Grade A investment environment. Newsweek magazine and The New York Times have separately rated Suzhou as one of the nine New Tech cities in the world and a high tech outpost of the global economy. In terms of a composite index of competitiveness, the UK Corporate Location magazine has rated SIP, twice, as the top ten industrial parks in Asia. Referring to the China-Singapore partnership and the foreign investments in SIP, UK's Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair has commented the move as &quot;bold and successful experiment&quot;. ");
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