A Pakistani journalist photographs high-tech facilities at the Brose workshop in Taicang, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

From January to September, Taicang received $800 million in foreign investment, up 86 percent compared with the same period of last year, local media reported from the municipal commerce bureau on Nov 5.

Local authorities said 65.6 percent of the new investment were brought by 59 new projects, about half of which are over $30 million in investment. The investors are mainly engaged in the manufacturing and R&D of automobile parts and high-end equipment.

German investors contributed to $141 million, up 26.79 year on year. The growth should be attributed to both local government's quick response after the COVID-19 outbreak and support from the German Centre, a worldwide chain of support hubs for traders looking to set up in prosperous areas.

Amidst a global economic slowdown, the municipal government has strengthened financial support for foreign-invested enterprises, and in September, four such enterprises received about $120 million in loans and investment.

"The quality of services, especially from the Taicang government, is more than good," said Matthias Mueller, the managing director of Taicang German Center.