By Grace Ng, China Correspondent

TIANJIN, CHINA - Tourism and vocational and technical education will be the next two key areas of cooperation for Singapore and China's Tianjin municipality.

These two sectors were highlighted at a joint business council meeting co-chaired by Minister of National Development Mah Bow Tan and Tianjin mayor Huang Xingguo yesterday.

The historic port city, which is promoting itself as 'Charming Tianjin, a Pearl in the Bohai Sea', is looking to tap Singapore's experience in creating a vibrant tourism industry.

In particular, the Republic's experience in developing an international cruise centre and waterfront tourism area will be useful to Tianjin, said Mr Huang at the meeting, the second since the Singapore-Tianjin Economic and Trade Council was set up in 2006.

Singapore's polytechnic and tertiary institutions can also share their experience to help the city plug 'the big gap (that) still exists between the development of vocational education of Tianjin and the demands of its economic growth', said Mr Jin Runcheng, director of Tianjin's municipal education commission.

Mr Mah, who led a business delegation of 40 Singapore firms on a three-day visit to Tianjin, welcomed the 'new opportunities for Singapore companies' which opened up in these two service sectors.

'Tourism and education are areas in which we are strong and where Tianjin is moving into,' said the minister. He noted that Tianjin is 'going through not just economic but physical transformation to improve the aesthetics of the city'.

'It is also moving beyond the traditional manufacturing sector into services such as retail, tourism...where Singapore has the capabilities to value-add,' Mr Mah told reporters after the meeting.

Apart from building new hotels and hospitality management, Singapore companies can also explore projects like restoring and designing Tianjin's historical foreign concession districts into modern dining and lifestyle areas, he suggested.

On the vocational education front, some plans are already on the drawing board. One is selecting some schools in Tianjin's Beiyang Vocational Education Park to collaborate with Singapore schools. Tianjin also plans to send teachers and administrative officers for three to six months of training in Singapore.

Mr Mah said Singapore schools will also be encouraged to set up projects in the eco-city, to attract more talent and provide training for the companies there.

The 50 billion yuan (S$11 billion) eco-city, jointly developed by Singapore and Tianjin, will attract green buildings and businesses, and promote an eco-friendly lifestyle. The 30 sq km park, the second flagship joint project between Singapore and China since the Suzhou Industrial Park, aims to create up to 60,000 jobs over the next decade and will provide homes, including public housing incorporating ideas from Singapore's HDB estates, to about 350,000 people.

Education provider EtonHouse is already planning an international school in a residential area within the eco-city. Others, such as training firm NTUC Learning Hub, are exploring opportunities for the first time. Its chief executive Zee Yoong Kang met Tianjin government officials yesterday to discuss ideas for tie-ups.

'Our Chinese counterparts recognise that there is a need to design content catering specifically to the needs of companies investing in Tianjin, and this is an area we can help in,' Mr Zee said.

Nanyang Polytechnic, which already has numerous collaborative ventures in China - including one in Suzhou Industrial Park's vocational education park - is also interested in expanding into Tianjin.

'Tianjin has about 150 higher and secondary vocational schools. So there is a lot of scope for us to share our experience in designing curriculums and training teachers from these schools,' said Mr Foong Tze Foon, the poly's senior director of international development.

Wrapping up his visit to Tianjin yesterday, Mr Mah said the trip has 'been useful for us...in settling some issues in the eco-city and setting out a workplan for Singapore-Tianjin economic cooperation next year'.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.