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Wednesday July 2, 12:47 AMSingapore, China sign agreements to spell out details on eco-cityTIANJIN: Singaporean and Chinese officials have met for the third time to work on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project. The officials signed agreements on Tuesday, spelling out more details for the iconic eco-city.The land for the project has been reclaimed and the administrative building is under construction. Now, both countries are ready to get down to the details – from the layout of buildings to the dimensions of roads, and even the number of trees. Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development, Grace Fu, stressed on the importance of planning before execution. "We are looking at schools, childcare centres, a hospital and community centres. These are some of the amenities that we will put in," she said. Speaking to reporters following a site visit on Tuesday, Ms Fu said the next phase would focus on policy-related issues. "If we were to introduce and encourage alternative energy, we have to look at some of the incentives we have to implement to support the development," she said. Ms Fu and Mr Qiu Baoxing, vice-minister of China's Ministry of Housing and Rural-Urban Development, signed agreements on Tuesday, spelling out the roles and responsibilities of the Eco-City Administrative Committee. Singapore's Tianjin Eco-city Investment Holdings – owned by Keppel Corporation – and the Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Company also signed a deal to kickstart the development of the eco-city. The joint venture, called the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Company, will have an initial capital of US$570 million. Singapore will contribute half of the capital in cash, while its Tianjin partner will provide the land. The ground-breaking ceremony of the landmark project was initially scheduled to be held in July, but it has been postponed to September after the Beijing Olympics as the Chinese government has been busy with reconstruction work following the Sichuan earthquake. Officials said the project is progressing on schedule and the joint venture is expected to be up and running in two months. Both countries plan to showcase their pet project and hold the ground-breaking ceremony during the World Economic Forum, which will be held in Tianjin in September. - CNA/so
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