Opening Remarks by Minister Desmond Lee at 10th Singapore-Tianjin Economic & Trade Council Meeting, Tianjin

Sep 27, 2024

A very good morning to Tianjin Mayor Zhang Gong, colleagues from Tianjin and Singapore, and esteemed business partners from both sides.

On behalf of my delegation, I would like to start by thanking Mayor Zhang Gong and team for your warm hospitality during our stay in Tianjin, and for hosting the 10^th Singapore-Tianjin Economic & Trade Council (STETC) meeting today.

Strengthening Cooperation Under STETC

This is our first STETC meeting after Singapore and China upgraded our bilateral relations to an ‘All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership’ last year. At the last Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting, our countries also commemorated the 15^th anniversary of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, our Government-to-Government project anchored on the theme of sustainable urban development. In 15 years, we transformed barren land and salt pans into a vibrant Eco-City where over 150,000 people live, work and play. In the process, we opened up opportunities for Singapore and Chinese companies to pilot their new sustainability solutions in the Eco-City.

In keeping with our upgraded bilateral ties, we are building on this foundation to raise our aspirations for the Eco-City’s next bound. Last year, our countries announced that we will facilitate the development of the Eco-City as an upgraded National Green Development Demonstration Zone. We aim to strengthen the Eco-City as a model for green growth, and unlock new opportunities for our businesses in a net-zero economy. To support the Demonstration Zone, we launched 15 new cooperation initiatives on areas such as low-carbon enterprise and green shipping.

We also want to harness the STETC platform to bring together Singapore and Chinese enterprises, to jointly explore new growth opportunities in Tianjin and Jing-Jin-Ji. This is why we are gathered here this morning, and both Mayor Zhang Gong and I will later sign a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening cooperation under the STETC.

Developing Tianjin Eco-City As Upgraded Demonstration Zone

Our teams have made good progress in developing the Demonstration Zone. Let me share some highlights.

One, we are keeping up efforts to strengthen the Eco-City as an incubator for green enterprises, including those from Singapore. The company MooVita is one example. Having set up their China headquarters in the Eco-City, MooVita is partnering a Chinese transport company to deploy five of their driverless buses on the Eco-City’s public bus network. We had the opportunity to ride on their bus yesterday.

Keppel Ltd is expanding the deployment of their smart and sustainable solutions in the Eco-City. Yesterday, we toured their Carbon-Neutral Smart Precinct in the Northern District. This builds on their experience in developing the Seasons Smart Vibrant Precinct in the Start-Up Area. In addition, Keppel has initiated a Low-Carbon and Smart City Alliance with Singapore small and medium-sized enterprises to pilot their solutions in the Eco-City, and continue to grow the Alliance.

On this trip, I also visited the new China-Singapore Smart Manufacturing Park opened by the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Company (SSTEC). This will provide new space and facilities for green and smart manufacturing enterprises looking to set up their operations in the Eco-City.

Two, we are laying the groundwork to enhance the Eco-City as a ‘living laboratory’ for net-zero innovation, with the opening of two research centres. First, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Eco-City Research and Innovation Centre, jointly set up by SUTD, SSTEC and the Eco-City Administrative Committee (ECAC). And second, the Eco-City Collaborative Innovation Centre for Green and Low-carbon Technologies, established by SSTEC, the National University of Singapore, Tiangong University and other partners.

Three, we are doing more to promote Tianjin as a pilot for new business ideas amongst Singapore companies. This March, the Ministry of National Development, EnterpriseSG and ECAC unveiled a Joint Support Programme to encourage Singapore enterprises to launch their low-carbon products in the Eco-City. When hosting our Tianjin colleagues on their investment promotion visits to Singapore, we brought in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Singapore Business Federation to engage our Tianjin partners. We had good discussions on cooperation ideas and how to make Tianjin an even more business-friendly city.

On this trip, around 50 representatives from 30 Singapore companies and organisations have also accompanied me to explore opportunities in Tianjin. I would like to thank them for their interest, and our Tianjin hosts for showing us around. There is a lot more we can do together to raise awareness of business opportunities in Tianjin for both sides. I hope our conversations and interactions on this visit have inspired new ideas.

Four, in the short eight months since the last JCBC, an Implementation Plan from 2024 to 2035 for the upgraded Demonstration Zone has been drafted and approved by China’s State Council. My deepest appreciation to our Chinese colleagues and counterparts for your hard work and commitment to the Demonstration Zone.

Allow me now to continue in Mandarin.

Forging Partnerships Beyond The Eco-City

新中两国在生态城的合作,也继续催化促进两国在天津其它不同新兴产业中，建立新伙伴关系。让我举两个例子。

一，航运。去年，新加坡和天津签署了设立绿色数码航运走廊的合作备忘录。这是两国首次开展这方面的合作。新加坡和天津作为港口城市，都有充分理由推动海事领域脱碳，因为脱碳对我们利益攸关。所以，我们在海事方面有许多可合作的领域。例如，天津自贸区与劲升逻辑正在商讨促进全球贸易数字化、便利化解决方案的合作。新加坡海事及港务管理局的一名官员最近在天津市港航管理局完成驻岗实训交流。新加坡海事及港务管理局也将在今年晚些时候，在新加坡接待天津同仁.

二，乐龄康养。我们的国家均面临人口老龄化的挑战，但也同样迎来银发经济带来的新商机。去年，我有幸为天津鹏瑞利国际健康商旅城主持开幕。鹏瑞利斥资10亿新元 - 也就是人民币50亿元- 建设中国首批以公共交通为导向的一站式医疗健康综合体。前天，我又为鹏瑞利国际健康商旅城的酒店和医疗集群主持开幕仪式。看到项目进展顺利，我很欣慰。

长成集团也进军乐龄领域，在天津成立了长成康养有限公司。很高兴能为长成在滨海新区艾维诺森林社区里的水印长成生活馆主持试营业典礼。生活馆为居民提供一系列的优良医疗、康养和老年护理服务。

Strengthening People-to-People Ties

要实现商业合作，两国人民之间的信任和理解是前提要件。为此，我们一直努力促进旅游和文化交流，加强两国的人文交流。例如，今年除了两地学生双向访以外，我们的土生华人巡回展览，还在天津国家海洋博物馆展出。

Concluding Remarks

这些合作成果表明，两国升级后的双边伙伴关系，给两国的企业和人民带来了实实在在的利益，新加坡企业也持续关注京津冀区域发展前景。期待加强新津之间的合作，共同为双方创造绿色经济带来的新机遇。