Its GDP surged 16.5 per cent last year, overtaking Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Suzhou.
Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu (above) said the rapid progress of projects like Tianjin Eco-city (in an artist's impression) was due to frequent exchanges at senior levels between Singapore and Tianjin.
STRONGER ties between Singapore and Tianjin are blazing a trail for more local firms to tap into one of China's fastest growing cities, said Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development.
With collaborations under the Singapore-Tianjin Economic and Trade Council beginning to bear fruit, Ms Fu now hopes to see more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) get on board to explore opportunities in the Chinese port city.
Aside from large-scale infrastructure projects, such as Tianjin Eco-city, a major green initiative in China, Singapore businesses have also signed deals to collaborate in several other industries.
They include projects in infocomm technology, retail services and a potentially lucrative meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) sector.
However, Ms Fu, who is also Senior Minister of State for Education, added that the time may be ripe for SMEs dealing in environmental and urban solutions to also get a piece of the action.
'I feel strongly this is an opportunity, at this stage of development, for many of our companies to use Tianjin as a base for their expansion,' she said.
