China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City bears fresh bilateral cooperation fruits

TIANJIN, China, Sept. 30, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

The inaugural China-Singapore Green and Low-Carbon Development Forum was held in the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City on September 26, with the 10th meeting of the Singapore-Tianjin Economic and Trade Council convened the following day in Tianjin, a port city in north China.

As a significant cooperative project between the governments of China and Singapore, the Eco-City has achieved multiple cooperative achievements, injecting new impetus into the construction of an upgraded national green development demonstration zone.

During the forum, the Eco-City’s management committee signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Enterprise Singapore on strengthening cooperation in the field of green and low-carbon economic industries in a bid to further enhance the pragmatic cooperation between China and Singapore in the green and low-carbon sector.

According to the MOU, the two countries will fully leverage the advantages of the Eco-City as a platform for bilateral cooperation. Joint efforts will be made to promote the construction of the Tianjin-Singapore two-way economic corridor, accelerate the development of a modern industrial system in the Eco-City, and continuously enhance the Eco-City’s influence in the international green and low-carbon industry development field.

In this regard, Enterprise Singapore will encourage Singaporean companies to enter the Chinese market through the Eco-City and support Chinese enterprises in setting up operations and production facilities in Singapore.

Meanwhile, the Eco-City’s management committee will assist international enterprises, including those from Singapore, in leveraging the advantages of the Eco-City platform to expand their presence in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Furthermore, it will support companies in the region to choose Singapore as their preferred destination for overseas investment and development.

As an important part of the forum, the Eco-City comprehensive demonstration zone for green electricity application was officially unveiled after the China Inspection and Certification Group conducted tracking and verification on the application of green electricity in the region.

At the beginning of the city’s construction, expert teams from China and Singapore developed the world’s first set of ecological city indicator system, which clearly defined requirements for the development of green energy and reduction of carbon emissions. In 2020, the indicator system was revised and upgraded, providing continued guidance for the construction of the region.

To achieve this, the Eco-City has made significant efforts in the development of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, expanding the supply of green electricity resources. It has an annual power generation capacity of approximately 40 million kilowatt-hours.

The Eco-City has successively built a smart energy town and introduced a zero-carbon standard system. The city’s fourth community has been recognized as a super low-carbon community, while the national animation park has been designated as a super low-carbon park. The FAW Toyota new energy factory has been recognized as a super low-carbon factory. Zero-carbon houses have been constructed, and the real estate registration center has been transformed into Tianjin’s first practical zero-energy consumption building. The Eco-City’s experience in green building base construction has been selected as a national exemplary case.

Building upon these achievements, the Eco-City initiated comprehensive green electricity efforts in 2023. Through long-term agreements with State Grid (Tianjin) Integrated Energy Company and new energy power plants, green electricity resources will be secured for enterprises within the region.

The Eco-City will take the lead in exploring innovative models for green electricity transactions, transitioning from a retail purchase to a group purchasing mode. This will encourage more enterprises to participate in green electricity transactions. Currently, the Eco-City’s green electricity usage has already covered over 75 percent of the total electricity consumption.

The Eco-City is leveraging its advantages as a platform for China-Singapore cooperation to deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in green technologies, green equipment, green services, green infrastructure, green finance, and other areas.

Looking forward, the Eco-City will develop a national green development demonstration zone with green, low-carbon, and high-quality development as the main theme, featuring the concentration of high value-added industries and a world-class business environment.