27 March 2020, Shanghai – Real Estate private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners announces today that as part of its joint-venture with Centrin Data, the Internet Data Center (IDC) Industrial Base in the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone in Kunshan, Jiangsu has been named as one of the five special industrial demonstration bases.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of the People’s Republic of China issued the notice no. (2020) 44, announcing the ninth batch of 39 national new industrial demonstration bases, including five data center industrial demonstration bases. The Internet Data Center (IDC) Industrial Base jointly operated by Gaw Capital Partners and Centrin Data in the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone has been recognized as one of the five special industrial demonstration bases that strengthens smart manufacturing and the development of the digital economy among the cities in Yangtze River Delta.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has given instructions to accelerate the construction of new infrastructure, such as 5G networks and data centers. Experts from related departments mentioned that this batch of infrastructure bases fortifies the direction of development for information data centers and is helping to push forward the authority’s plan in a timely and effective manner. At the beginning of 2017, it was the first time that the MIIT designated data centers as national new industrial demonstration bases to encourage and support competitive companies in emerging sectors, such as the industrial internet of things (IIoT), data centers, big data, cloud computing, as well as promote industrial transfer and cooperation.
Located in a hub city of Yangtze River Delta, the IDC in the Huaqiao Economic Zone is close to Shanghai, the leading city in the Yangtze River Delta, and sits 250km away for other key cities such as Hangzhou and Nanjing. To date, the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone has successfully brought together leading enterprises including Centrin (Huaqiao), Tencent and Baidu.
The Huaqiao IDC industrial base has sought to become a pioneer in new infrastructure since its establishment. The IDC supports the integration of technology and industrialization as well as industrial internet development in Suzhou, Jiangsu, relying on the accumulated advantages of the city. It is also creating leading service-focused manufacturing networks for Jiangsu Province and cities in the Yangtze River Delta in order to push forward the upgrade of the digital economy, as well as resolve the problem of increasing demand for computing resources in Shanghai.
Humbert Pang, Managing Principal and Head of China for Gaw Capital Partners, said, “Gaw Capital Partners and Centrin Data strive to build a robust data center platform that services the needs of businesses and integrate ESG elements into the IDC projects. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for Gaw Capital uses to screen potential investments and operate our asset management. Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, tenants, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, gender diversity and equality, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.”
Pang continued, “The Huaqiao IDC Industrial Base will lead as an example of an important green data center in Eastern China, driving cloud computing, big data, industrial internet, the internet of things (IoT) and AI. It aims to be a new highlight in Huaqiao by building a digital economic industrial chain and ecosystem with the support of big projects and prominent enterprises. With its green, high-efficient and high-quality characteristics, and the goal of creating a national IDC industrial demonstration base, Huaqiao IDC Industrial Base is leveraging its locational advantages in the Huaqiao region, which is based in Suzhou but also close to Shanghai. It is supporting Shanghai, Nanjing and Jiangsu to co-develop digital industries and create an intelligent manufacturing demonstration zone in order to cluster and develop advanced data center industry, becoming a benchmark of the same kind.”
The IDC has high service capabilities with 35,600 high-quality racks. Phase I of the project has enjoyed 16 months of stable operations and it has become an important node in Eastern China among leading internet companies.
The IDC will support digital economy upgrade efforts and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. It will also serve as a base for intelligent manufacturing as well as the integration of technology and industrialization in Jiangsu Province to resolve the increasing conflict between the demand and supply of computing resources in Shanghai.
Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the IDC has played an important role in protecting information infrastructure, providing a stable, secure and highly efficient platform for internet companies such as Tencent to serve the public with high concurrency and low latency network.


Gaw Capital Partners, through its funds under management, and its consortium partners, acquired 29 Hong Kong-based community shopping centers and associated facilities in March 2018 and March 2019.
Gaw Capital Partners officially started to operate over 29 assets and facilities near the public estates and established “People’s Place”. “People” stands for the public and the residents, whereas “Place” here is an allusion to the idiomatic Chinese term for a location of virtue and tradition, as well as a well-governed community; “Place” also connotes the solidarity of the local neighborhood. All in all, “People’s Place” stands for a place rich in sentiments and compassion, bringing strangers together in constructing a vibrant, cozy living environment. People’s Place aspires to transform obsolete commercial facilities into vibrant community hubs by creatively utilizing its space and bringing brand new experiences to residents, tenants and community stakeholders.
In partnership with experienced educators in China, Gaw Capital has invested in the development and operations of Stellart International School of Arts (SISA), an international arts education platform in China. The platform is initially seeded by a commercial site conveniently located in Sanshan New Town in Nanhai, Foshan, which has excellent connectivity nationally via the Guangzhou South Station. The site has a GFA of c.50,000 sqm in total. Operating under the SISA brand and developed by Gaw Capital Partners, the school houses up to 600 full-time high school students in its 6-storey tall academic block and 7-floor dormitory. 
