Tianjin Eco-City Makes "Truly Amazing" Progress

Shanghai, May 4, 2011 AEST (ABN Newswire) - In April 2011, Singapore's Senior Minister (and former Prime Minister) Goh Chok Tong made an official visit to the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) and said that the progress of the project was "truly amazing" and it could be "a model that other cities in China can draw lessons from" (Straits Times, 18 April 2011).

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is a government-to-government project between China and Singapore. Located 150 km from Beijing and 40 km east of Tianjin city, the 30 sq km large Eco-City, which is currently being constructed, will possess some of the most modern and popular energy-saving technologies, including tapping solar, wind and geothermal power, rainwater recycling and waste water treatment. All buildings in the Eco-City will conform to green building standards, which were jointly developed by China and Singapore, to ensure efficient design and energy usage.

Since the Eco-City's groundbreaking ceremony in September 2008, much progress has been made. What was previously saline and non-arable land with polluted water bodies has now been transformed into a beautiful, new emerging city, with 100% green buildings, well-planned roads and eco-friendly features such as street lights powered by wind and solar energy.

The Eco-City has also attracted over RMB 55 billion of investments from international and Chinese companies, including top multinational companies such as Philips (NYSE:PHG) and Hitachi (NYSE:HIT) (TYO:6501), which are keen to use the Eco-City as a test-bed for their innovative green products and solutions. The first batch of residents is expected to move into the Eco-City in 2012.

Mr Ho Tong Yen, CEO of SSTEC, said, "We are committed to combining the best practices in China and Singapore, to build an Eco-City that is practical, replicable, and scalable. Our goal is not to build an utopian and costly demonstration project. Instead, our focus is on practicality, starting from master planning, to cost effective building designs, to attracting green businesses to the Eco-City, so that residents can enjoy a vibrant eco-friendly environment, where they can work, live and play. SSTEC is pleased to partner top international companies such as General Motors (NYSE:GM), Hitachi, Panasonic (TYO:6752) (NYSE:PC), Philips, and Samsung (SEO:005930) to jointly develop what we hope can become a model for sustainable urban development in China and other countries."

Mr. Ho will present at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at Global Green Building Conference at Renaissance Shanghai. The first Global Green Building (GGB) from June 14 to 17 will bring in more than 100 companies showcasing latest sustainable building and eco-city products and services in Shanghai. More information, please contact the organizing committee at info@szwgroup.com or +86-21-5830-0710 (telephone).

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