Located in the Tianjin Binhai New Area, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is an inter-governmental project between China and Singapore. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the eco-city's founding. CGTN's Chuck Tinte has the details on its development.

Ten years ago, there was an 'ecological restricted zone' in Tianjin, where most of the area was a wasteland, including an abandoned salt field with polluted waters. But ten years later, it's become a pioneer in eco-city construction. It's the first integrated demonstration zone of green development in China.

SUN XIAOFENG, RESEARCHER CONSTRUCTION BUREAU OF SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY "At first, it was really difficult for us and we faced many challenges. Solving the sewage issue was the biggest problem. It took us three years to fully improve the water quality and govern the sewage system in this area. There were no green buildings before, and we hadn't learned from previous experiences. We set up a new evaluation system of constructing green buildings by expanding the discussion with Singaporean experts."

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is a bilateral project between Singapore and China.

It provides a platform for both sides to share their best practices in sustainable development.

KOK POH JUNE, DEPUTY CEO SINO-SINGAPORE TIANJIN ECO-CITY INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT "I want to touch more importantly on how we could design and plan for green buildings. There are many green features, for example, passive design is very common in Singapore. They keep the buildings insulated during cold and harsh winter. So this passive design we could bring into, and is much low cost. At the same time, great ideas that we explore and experiment with. We hope to replicate something practical into future development."

From renewable energy to smart homes and distributed power generation, the blueprint for the construction of a smart grid in the eco-city is being realized step by step.

Not only is renewable energy slowly being realized, but infrastructure and services are also headed towards improvements.

As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pays an official visit to Singapore, the upgraded Free Trade Zone Agreement between the two sides has been signed.

The new agreement emphasizes that cooperation in environmental protection will be expanded. Chuck Tinte, CGTN, TIANJIN.