SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY PROJECT

SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY PROJECT:

(Spin-offs): 5.

Dr Ong Seh Hong asked the Minister for National Development if he will provide an update on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project and what spin-offs there have been to date for Singapore businesses.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Ms Grace Fu Hai: Column: 1563

Yien) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, or "Eco-city" for short, is a joint project between China and Singapore to develop a city which can serve as a model for sustainable development, environmental protection and social harmony. It is our second flagship collaborative project with China, after the Suzhou Industrial Park. The framework agreement to jointly develop the Eco-city was signed in November 2007.

The Master Plan and Key Performance Indicators to guide its planning and development were finalised and approved in early-2008. We target to complete the development of the 4 sq km start-up area (SUA) in five years’ time by late 2013. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in September 2008, we have achieved good progress in the development of the SUA, despite the global financial crisis. The reclamation works for the SUA have been completed, while the construction of roads, the laying of the utility services and the landscaping works in the SUA are progressing well. Environmental rehabilitation works, such as the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, are on schedule. Developers have taken up nearly all the land in the SUA, and construction works are scheduled to commence soon. The Chinese Government has decided to locate national-level projects, such as the National Animation Park in the Eco-city to help drive its economic development and provide jobs for its residents.

The Green Building Evaluation Standards, which were jointly formulated by officials from Singapore and China, have been officially adopted in the Eco-city, in line with the KPI that all buildings in the Eco-city must meet green building standards. MND and other agencies are sharing with Tianjin officials our software, expertise and experiences in areas like public housing, community management and water management, in tandem with

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the development of the Eco-city’s hardware.

To help Singapore businesses tap business opportunities in the Eco-city, MND has been working with agencies like IE Singapore and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to organise awareness seminars and business missions to the Eco-city. The Joint Venture Company (JV Co) undertaking the development of the Eco-city, which is formed by a Singapore consortium led by Keppel Corporation and a Chinese consortium, has also engaged or signed MOUs with several Singapore companies to be involved in projects in the Eco-city. These include architectural consultants, developers, contractors, education providers, solution providers and service providers. Surbana International Consultants, for example, was involved in drawing up the Master Plan as well as the design for the first public housing project for the Eco-city. As the project progresses, MND and the JV Co will continue to facilitate the involvement of more Singapore companies, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in the project.