# Singapore and China Deepen Collaboration in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City

- **Source:** Ministry of National Development
- **Published:** 2021-12-29T09:30:00.000Z
- **Author:** Ministry of National Development
- **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/singapore-and-china-deepen-collaboration-in-the-sino-singapore-tianjin-eco-city
- **Topics:** New Launches, Sustainability & PropTech, Regional Markets

## Featured rationale

Deeper integration of greenery and smart, low-carbon technology could strengthen the Eco-City’s residential appeal and encourage wider adoption in future developments.

## AI summary

Singapore and China signed an MOU to develop the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City as a Garden City with green belts, park connectors and pocket parks.

## Original article

Singapore and China are deepening bilateral cooperation to enhance the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City into a distinctive city that is greener and more sustainable. 

At the 13th Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council Meeting held on 29 December 2021, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee announced that the National Parks Board of Singapore (NParks) and the Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee (ECAC) of China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a collaboration to enhance the Eco-City into a “Garden City”.

Minister Desmond Lee said, “Thirteen years ago, we set out on this collaboration with the vision of making the Eco-City a replicable model for sustainable development for cities. Over the years, it has successfully transformed from a barren land to a thriving eco-city. The Eco-City’s experience is now even more relevant given the global commitment to reduce carbon emissions, including our launch of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and China’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In the next phase of the Eco-City’s development, we will aim higher and elevate the Eco-City into a greener, smarter and more sustainable city.” 

Under this bilateral cooperation, there are plans to further weave greenery into the built environment and bring nature even closer to the Eco-City’s residents and visitors. Programmes will be curated to promote awareness of the benefits of greenery and nurture community stewardship of the Eco-City’s natural environment. Under the MOU, both sides will jointly plan, design and develop features such as a Green Belt, a park connector network connecting the city’s green spaces, and pocket parks at street corners in the central area of the Eco-City. 

Minister Desmond Lee said, “Singapore and China have been working together to push the boundaries of sustainability solutions through the Eco-City project. We have made good progress. At a time where there were no precedents or established standards for the management of polluted water bodies in China, we rehabilitated a former wastewater pond to become what we now call Jing Lake , right at the heart of the city. The Eco-City’s environmental rehabilitation initiatives have been a critical step to the development of “blue-green” networks of inter-connected water and greenery systems in the Eco-City. We now see residents enjoying beautiful and clean rivers, lush greenery and an extensive network of parks and open spaces. With this MOU, we will continue to push boundaries to further enhance the integration of nature with the built environment and create a distinctive Eco-City.”

Singapore and China are also expanding efforts in the smart and low carbon development of the Eco-City. In Keppel Land’s residential developments in the Eco-City, residents will enjoy the conveniences brought about by the smart technology applications in the estates and in residents’ homes to enhance public amenities, senior living and community services. For example, a digital volunteers platform will allow elderly or disabled residents to indicate their different needs, such as for repair works, hairdressing, or buying groceries. The platform will connect them with volunteers in the community. The platform also tracks and measures the impact of volunteer programmes in the Eco-City, which can be used to improve future community programmes. Keppel Land has also opened Seasons City - a smart and low-carbon mall featuring a cloud-based service platform for personalised shopping experience and smart parking functions. Energy saving technology such as energy-efficient lighting designs, chillers and ventilation systems, as well as photovoltaics and a solar hot water system to harness solar energy have been adopted in Seasons City. Keppel Land will be scaling up the application of smart technologies in a smart and low-carbon precinct at the Eco-City’s Northern District to benefit more residents. 

These enhanced green and smart efforts will make the Eco-City an even more sustainable city. Singapore and China’s innovations and new ideas in the Eco-City will continue to be shared and scaled jointly. Since the launch of the Eco-City project, the Eco-City’s experience in water rehabilitation of the Jing Lake has been replicated in Xiong’An New Area’s Baiyangdian Lake Basin, Hunan Province Zhuzhou City’s Qingshuitang and Zhejiang Province’s Yuhuan City. In 2017, the Eco-City became a pilot programme for the International Standards Organisation (ISO) standards for the management and implementation of sustainable cities and communities. This year, Singapore and China shared the Eco-City’s experience with international audiences from cities along the Belt and Road, ASEAN and beyond at the Roundtable on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Green Development and the BRI International Green Development Coalition Policy Studies Release 2021, World Cities Summit, and at the 5th World Intelligence Congress in Tianjin. Both countries will continue to work together to realise our vision of the Eco-City as a green, smart and sustainable Eco-City in the next bound of development. 

More information on the MOU and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project are in Annexes A and B respectively.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 新加坡与中国深化中新天津生态城合作

新加坡与中国正深化双边合作，将中新天津生态城提升为更绿色、更可持续的特色城市。

在2021年12月29日举行的第13次中新天津生态城联合协调理事会会议上，国家发展部长兼社会服务整合统筹部长李智陞宣布，新加坡国家公园局（NParks）与中国天津生态城管理委员会（ECAC）已签署谅解备忘录（MOU），合作将生态城提升为“花园城市”。

李智陞部长表示：“十三年前，我们开启这项合作，愿景是把生态城打造为可复制的城市可持续发展典范。这些年来，它已成功从一片荒地转型为蓬勃发展的生态城市。鉴于全球减碳承诺，包括我们推出的《新加坡绿色发展蓝图2030》以及中国力争2060年前实现碳中和的计划，生态城的经验如今更具相关性。在生态城发展的下一阶段，我们将志向更高，把生态城提升为更绿色、更智慧、更可持续的城市。”

在这一双边合作下，双方计划进一步将绿化融入建成环境，让自然更贴近生态城的居民与访客。将策划各类计划，提高公众对绿化益处的认识，并培养社区对生态城自然环境的守护意识。根据谅解备忘录，双方将共同规划、设计并建设诸如绿化带、连接城市绿地的公园连接网络，以及生态城中心区街角袖珍公园等设施。

李智陞部长表示：“新加坡与中国一直通过生态城项目共同推动可持续发展解决方案的边界。我们已取得良好进展。在中国当时尚无污染水体管理先例或既定标准的时候，我们把一个前废水池修复为如今位于城市中心的镜湖。生态城的环境修复举措，是其建设相互连接的水与绿化‘蓝绿’网络的关键一步。如今我们看到居民享受美丽洁净的河流、葱郁的绿化以及广泛的公园与开放空间网络。通过这份谅解备忘录，我们将继续开拓边界，进一步加强自然与建成环境的融合，打造独具特色的生态城。”

新加坡与中国也在扩大生态城智慧与低碳发展方面的努力。在吉宝置业于生态城的住宅项目中，居民将享受园区及住家中智慧科技应用带来的便利，以提升公共设施、乐龄生活及社区服务。例如，数字义工平台可让年长或残疾居民提出不同需求，如维修、理发或购买日用品。该平台将把他们与社区义工对接。平台还跟踪并衡量生态城义工计划的影响，可用于改进未来的社区计划。吉宝置业还开设了四季荟——一座智慧低碳商场，设有云端服务平台，提供个性化购物体验及智慧停车功能。四季荟采用了节能照明设计、制冷机与通风系统等节能技术，以及光伏发电和太阳能热水系统以利用太阳能。吉宝置业将在生态城北部片区的一个智慧低碳街区扩大智慧科技应用，惠及更多居民。

这些强化的绿色与智慧举措将使生态城成为更可持续的城市。新加坡与中国在生态城的创新与新理念将继续共同分享并推广。自生态城项目启动以来，生态城在镜湖水体修复方面的经验已在雄安新区白洋淀流域、湖南省株洲市清水塘及浙江省玉环市得到复制。2017年，生态城成为国际标准化组织（ISO）可持续城市与社区管理与实施标准的试点项目。今年，新加坡与中国在“一带一路”绿色发展圆桌会议及“一带一路”国际绿色发展联盟政策研究报告发布会2021、世界城市峰会，以及天津第五届世界智能大会上，向“一带一路”沿线城市、东盟及其他国际受众分享了生态城经验。两国将继续合作，在下一阶段发展中实现将生态城打造为绿色、智慧、可持续生态城的愿景。

有关谅解备忘录及中新天津生态城项目的更多信息，分别见附件A及附件B。