The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Joint Working Committee (JWC) met on 5 May 2010 in the municipality of Tianjin in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to review the progress of the Tianjin Eco-city and to discuss the key areas of work in the year ahead. Mr Mah Bow Tan, Singapore’s Minister for National Development, and Mr Qiu Baoxing, Vice-Minister in the PRC Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, co-chaired the meeting. Other notable attendees included Ms Grace Fu, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State (SMS) for National Development and Education, and Mr Xiong Jianping, Vice Mayor of the Tianjin Municipal Government.
The meeting acknowledged the tangible and substantial results the Tianjin Eco-city has achieved since the 4th meeting in June 2009. The basic infrastructure for the Start-Up Area (SUA) has been completed. Various development projects, with total gross floor area amounting to more than 800,000 square metres, have started construction works. The integrated rehabilitation of existing polluted water bodies is progressing smoothly. The meeting endorsed the ongoing collaborative and joint projects between Singapore and Tianjin in areas like water management, urban planning and economic promotion. Future areas of focus include jointly developing a set of integrated water management guidelines and working together to formulate the public housing policies for the Eco-city, drawing upon Singapore’s experience in these areas, where relevant.
The JWC was also updated on the implementation plans for the Tianjin Eco-city’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Framework. The KPI Framework comprises both short-term and long-term targets for key aspects of the Eco-city’s development. These cover areas like air and water quality, water and waste management, green buildings, green transportation, resource usage and conservation, and public housing.
Following the meeting, JWC members toured the Eco-city site to view first-hand the ongoing construction works in the Start-Up Area. They also witnessed the signing of various commercial agreements and memorandums of understanding for projects in the Eco-city.
