Introduction

The groundbreaking ceremony of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city was held on 28 September 2008. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong officiated at the ceremony, which was the culmination of ten months of hard work since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Premier Wen signed the Framework Agreement on the development of the Tianjin Eco-city in Singapore in November 2007. During this period, a set of Key Performance Indicators to guide the planning and development of the Eco-city, the Tianjin Eco-city Master Plan, as well as the preliminary detailed plan of the start-up area were formulated.

The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction work on the Eco-city in the 4km² start-up area. At the ceremony, leaders of both countries stressed the importance of the concept of the "three harmonies", namely, the harmony between people and people, people and the economy, and people and the environment. This will not only serve as a guiding principle in the planning and development of the Eco-city, but will also be one of its unique characteristics that will set it apart from other eco-cities which are being developed.

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is envisioned as a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city. It aims to be a model for sustainable development for other cities in China and the world.

When fully developed, the 30 km² large Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city will have about 350,000 residents, living in inclusive, close-knit communities with strong social support networks.

The entire project is expected to be completed in 10 to 15 years' time.