Chongqing- "The crux of smart cities is not about adopting new technologies. Rather, it's more about making these technologies work for people," said Janet Chiew, director of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

To deepen the mutual understanding of smart cities, the Singapore Smart City Development Sharing Session was held in Southwest China's Chongqing on October 28, where experts and representatives shared insights to help Chongqing build a smart city.

"At the beginning of the implementation of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), we have carried out cooperative exploration and practice in smart buildings, smart tourism, and smart parks, with good pilot results," said Chu Bin, deputy director of China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Administrative Bureau (CCIB).

Building a smart city is a global phenomenon

Chiew addressed that smart city is a global phenomenon. "Smart cities solutions drive urbanization, improve urban governance, crack 'big city diseases,' improve public service quality, and develop the digital economy," she said. 

In Chiew's view, smart cities need to be built with international networks, connectivities, and partnerships in mind in today's increasingly connected world.

Singapore's construction as a "smart country" enjoys a global reputation. It is the forerunner and leader of the current global smart city construction, relying on its continuous development policies and widespread use of digital technologies.

Chu thinks that Singapore's construction has effectively improved city management, reduced urban operating costs, and facilitated the citizens' work and life, which provides a valuable reference for urban planning and construction in other countries, including China. 

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is a vivid example, the second flagship Government-to-Government project between Singapore and China, which was mooted by then-Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April 2007 against the backdrop of rapid urbanization and increasing global attention on the importance of sustainable development. Wang Hao from Keppel Land explained how to build a sustainable smart city at the session by the case.

They summarized the construction experience of Singapore's "garden city" from aspects of energy, environment, water affairs, heating, and cooling. It aims to build an ecological city that integrates resource-saving, environmentally friendly, and socially harmonious features, providing a model for sustainable development. 

Construction of a smart city under the CCI

As the only municipality in western China, Chongqing has seen significant economic and social development in recent years. Currently, Chongqing is striving to promote high-quality development and create high-quality life, and the construction of a smart city can effectively boost the realization of these two goals. 

Over the past five years, IMDA and Chongqing Big Data Application and Development Administration Bureau have collaborated closely in constructing a smart city under the CCI framework.

For instance, they established the Joint Innovation Development Fund (JIDF), which aims to seize business and innovation opportunities in China and Singapore and to create partnerships for companies to expand to Southeast Asia. The program has supported 18 projects in areas including smart cities, transport, logistics, and manufacturing.

Similarly, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle also moved forward in building smart cities. In May 2021, 14 Chengdu and Chongqing urban areas joined hands to explore smart application scenarios and make the smart city management platform.

This August, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Sichuan Tianfu New Area announced that both areas would further strengthen collaboration to build a high-standard, high-quality smart city.