Suzhou is a modern manufacturing base with new and high technology industry as the mainstay. In 2007, the newly approved foreign investment projects totaled 50, with total investment value from the Chinese at US$ 103 million. "The Oriental Industrial Garden" in Ethiopia applied for and established by the Jiangsu Qiyuan Group and Yonggang Group has become the overseas state-level economic and trade cooperation center. Suzhou Industrial Park has constructed the Vientiane Special Economic Zone joint venture with Laos. An important cooperation project between the Chinese and Singaporean government, Suzhou Industrial Park is a high-tech industrial park with international competitiveness and a new urban area that is modern, gardened and international.

Suzhou, the cradle of Wu culture, is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. 2500 years ago in the late Shang Dynasty, local tribes who named themselves "Gou Wu" lived in the area which would become the modern city of Suzhou. When the Grand Canal was completed, Suzhou found itself strategically located on a major trade route. In the course of the history of China, it has been a metropolis of industry and commerce on the south-eastern coast of China.

In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council, the PRC government, as one of four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Guilin) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage as well as natural scenery should ideally be treated with utmost care. Since then, Suzhou has developed into one of the most prosperous cities in China. In the wake of the rapid economic development, a major demolition and reconstruction program has been carried through in the central parts of the ancient city. Where narrow streets, alleys and canals once existed, multi-lane highways and shopping malls have been constructed. Similar developments have also taken place in Beijing and Hangzhou, where very little classical architecture now remains.

The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. An online tour of the gardens can be seen at the 'World Heritage Tours' website.

Because Suzhou is one of the most prosperous cities in China, its development has a direct correlation with the growth of its satellite cities, most notably Kunshan, Taicang, Mudu, and Zhangjiagang, which together form the greater Suzhou region. Suzhou's jurisdictional areas are home to many high-tech development enterprises.

Suzhou has jurisdiction over (at county level):