Press release 09 May 2008
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Sustainable Chinese cities to be built using Swedish expertise

A large delegation from Tangshan, a city of seven million people on the Chinese coast some 200 km east of Beijing, is currently visiting Sweden to conduct discussions with the Government and Swedish companies on enhanced cooperation in the area of the environment.

"This is the exciting start of the broadest and longest term initiative for environmental technology that Sweden has taken in China," says Minister for Trade Ewa Björling who met the delegation on Thursday evening.

A new development area with an environmental profile is being planned in Tangshan. The project includes a deep-water harbour, industrial zones and housing for more than half a million people. The City of Tangshan is showing great interest in involving Sweden and Swedish environmental companies as partners in this huge development project.

During the high-level visit to China on 13-16 April several agreements were signed on cooperation on environmental technology, including the area of sustainable urban development. In the coming decade another 200 million people in China are expected to move to the cities. This will greatly increase the pressure on urban infrastructure - sewage treatment, waste, transport and energy - areas where Swedish companies possess world-leading expertise.