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INAUGURAL SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY
JOINT STEERING COUNCIL MEETING

1         The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Joint Steering Council held its inaugural meeting in Tianjin today. The meeting took stock of the progress which had been achieved since the signing of the Framework Agreement on the development of the Eco-city by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in November last year, and discussed the key areas of work ahead. Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Wong Kan Seng and PRC Vice-Premier Wang Qishan co-chaired the meeting.

2         At the meeting, DPM Wong and Vice-Premier Wang commended the various parties for the rapid and good progress which the Tianjin Eco-city has achieved so far. It noted that under the leadership and guidance of the Joint Working Committee (JWC), which is co-chaired by Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, and Mr Jiang Weixin, PRC Minister for Housing and Urban-Rural Development, both countries have jointly formulated a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to guide the planning and development of the project. The KPIs cover broad areas like air and water quality, transportation, energy usage, public green coverage, waste management and social aspects such as the provision of public housing in the Tianjin Eco-city. The JWC has also given in-principle endorsement for the Master Plan of the Eco-city. In addition, the Detailed Plan of the start-up area is in the process of being finalized.

3        The meeting reaffirmed the importance and significance of the Tianjin Eco-city in providing a model for sustainable development that can be replicated in other cities in China and the world. DPM Wong reiterated Singapore's full commitment to the success of the Tianjin Eco-city.

4        The next key milestone of the Tianjin Eco-city will be the groundbreaking ceremony. Details of the ceremony are being finalized.

5        The meeting agreed that the key areas of work ahead will include not only the physical and infrastructural development of the Eco-city, but also the formulation of policies which are in line with the vision of the Eco-city and the principle of the "three harmonies" (i.e. harmony between man and man, between man and the environment, and between man and economic activities), to complement and support its physical development.

6        Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, said, "We had a very good inaugural meeting. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to making the Tianjin Eco-city an international showcase in environmental protection, resource and energy conservation and social harmony. The planning work is largely completed and construction works will commence shortly. Much work remains to be done. We will be focusing next on the "software" aspects, namely concepts, policies and measures which will help us realize our vision for the Eco-city."

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Last updated on 3 September 2008