CLEAN TECH ASIA
SWEDISH BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN WUXI The city of Wuxi, around 150 km west of Shanghai, is a traditional stronghold of Swedish companies. Sweden has now begun a unique partnership with Wuxi to build an eco-city in part of a new urban area, Taihu New City, which is as big as Stockholm, both in terms of size and population. BY GUNNAR ANDERSSON
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uxi is in the Jiangsu Province of eastern China. Swedish companies like Volvo, Atlas Copco and SKF are already leading foreign investors in Wuxi’s trade and industry. Representatives for both Wuxi and Swedish players have formed a working group with the task of identifying partnership projects between Wuxi and Sweden, and highlighting Swedish cleantech that is suitable for introduction in the new eco-city. “Our aim is to help Swedish cleantech companies to do business with the new eco-city area, including Wuxi,” says Tina Karlberg, who works with companies and markets in the office for the government’s cleantech partnership with China. THE CITY OF WUXI has expressed
great interest in Swedish products in the new area of the city, especially when it comes to energy efficiency, waste and water issues, where it is considered particularly important to find solutions. “Wuxi is enthusiastic and serious about this, and has financial clout. From the government offices and the general consulate’s side, there is preparedness to support and introduce the companies that are interested in creating contacts with this expansive and interesting city,” says Tina Karlberg. The part of the city about which Sweden and Wuxi are cooperating covers 2.4 sq. km., which is comparable to Ham22 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
marby Sjöstad in Stockholm or Västra Hamnen in Malmö. After an international procurement, Tengbom Arkitekter were awarded the task of developing a general plan for the 2.4 sq. m. in the central part of the city. It is also called the Wuxi Sino-Swedish Eco-City LEADERS IN WUXI have visited Swe-
den a number of times over the last year. “We have also given Swedish companies the opportunity to present themselves to the Chinese leaders. This summer, the Wuxi project will be presented at a conference in the Swedish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.
In association with this, a group of Swedish companies will be travelling to Wuxi to meet representatives from the city and to offer services and products,” says Tina Karlberg. In partnership with ÅF, Tengbom Arkitekter has developed a sustainability programme for the eco-city, including the development criteria and environmental indicators. The start of construction for some of the infrastructure is planned for the summer of 2010. “Wuxi still wants to come into contact with more interesting cleantech companies from Sweden,” says Tina Karlberg. !