Expert predicts rapid arrival of 'true smart city'

Could you enlighten us on how the city could utilize its advantages in intelligent manufacturing to become part of a 'smart' Belt and Road Initiative?

I am happy that you mention the notion of a 'smart' Belt and Road. Smart here means the combination of technology and the imperative of sustainability.

Tianjin is a port which has trade links with more than 180 countries and regions. It means that Tianjin is not only a production base, but also a transportation hub.

By upgrading its manufacturing and logistics systems, Tianjin will become the catalyst for the construction of a smart belt and road.

Binhai New Area has been the economic engine of Tianjin over the past 10 years. Could you give some advice for its development over the next 10 years?

Binhai New Area has achieved a lot. But in line with what we are discussing, the next decade will be marked by the impact of digital technology on industrial production.

Two major elements will determine the future of Binhai.

First, the capacity to adopt not only the most advanced technology, but also to contribute to technological innovation.

I am optimistic because one of the many strengths of Tianjin is the quality of the local universities.

As a visiting professor at Nankai University, I have had the privilege to interact with Tianjin's young talent. I know that they want Tianjin to succeed, I know that they want Tianjin to be open to the world, I know that they want Tianjin to innovate, so Tianjin's progress will continue to surprise us.

I want to share with you a story. I had a great chance to meet the former prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi. He came to China for the first time in the 1980s.

As the president of the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction, known in Italian as IRI, he coordinated an industrial project in Tianjin. It was the predecessor of Tianjin Pipe Corporation, now the largest seamless steel-pipe maker in China and one of the largest in the world. IRI had a similar project in the Soviet Union. Although the project in the USSR(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) began construction before the project in Tianjin, the plant in Tianjin was completed well before the USSR project.

I shared this story with you because I know it had a deep impact on Prodi's perception of China.

This story is revealing. In Tianjin, in China, the speed of change is unique. And, yes, Tianjin might become a true smart city much faster than people think.