The Fourth China (Tianjin Binhai) International Eco-City Forum & Expo will be held from Sept 15 to 19 in Tianjin to explore innovative ways of constructing ecological cities in China's urbanization drive, according to a news conference held by the organization committee on Wednesday.

The forum, launched in 2010, is themed “Eco-City Creates Harmonious Future”. This year's forum focuses on the topic of “Eco-City Construction and System Innovation”.

The forum will feature more than 70,000 participants and visitors, including political leaders, businessmen and scholars from home and abroad.

Various parallel forums will be held to discuss such issues as green construction materials, water treatment, new energy and climate change.

The expo is expected to showcase the Binhai New Area's ecological urbanization efforts and introduce new ecological technologies. There will also be platforms for entrepreneurs to seek business cooperation.

“China's urbanization is not only a driving force for new domestic growth points, but will also have far-reaching implications all over the world,” said Wei Jianguo, secretary-general of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. “Binhai Forum is one of the most professional eco-city forums in China that answers three questions: the standards, position and mechanism of ecological urbanization.”

“Many pilot eco-cities have signed up for the forum, including Shanghai, Xiamen and Nanchang,” said Yang Shihao, head of the Binhai New Area. “More than 100 companies, including Siemens, China National Petroleum Corporation and Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd, will also share their experiences and technologies in greening our cities.”