China, Singapore together to make Tianjin an eco-city

China and Singapore on Wednesday pledged a joint effort to build an eco-city here into an environmentally-friendly model of sustainable development.

The two countries agreed to develop an economy based on the sustainable use of resources, according to the first meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Steering Committee for the Tianjin Eco-city.

The key performance index includes air, water, transport, forestation, energy efficiency and aste management, earlier reports by Singapore-based Zaobao Daily said.

But it will not, like certain other cities, pursue a "zero CO2 emission", the newspaper quoted Ma Baoshan, the minister of Singapore's National Development Department, as saying.

More than 90 percent of the traffic in the eco-city will be low-pollution public transport, Chinese newspapers reported.

The eco-city will be guided by Singapore's use of solar and wind power, and experience in rainwater recycling, as well as wastewater treatment and desalinization of sea water, Gou said.

It's the second joint project by the two governments following the China-Suzhou Industrial Park in east China's Jiangsu Province. The construction of the eco-city began in July and is set to be completed in 10 to 15 years.

The development is located 40 km from downtown Tianjin and 150 km from Beijing. And it will be guided by Singapore's use of solar and wind power, and experience in rainwater recycling, as well as wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water.