Over the past decades, Binhai New Area, a coastal area of Tianjin, has transformed from a patch of saline-alkali wasteland into a modern, eco-friendly district, and is now shaping a new growth model centered on green development, officials said.

"Binhai has become a key engine driving Tianjin's high-quality development," Lian Maojun, Party secretary of Tianjin Binhai New Area, said at a recent news conference.

Binhai's GDP reached 789.1 billion yuan ($116.3 billion) last year, ranking second among all national-level new areas in China, while its per capita GDP stood at about 380,000 yuan, the highest among its peers, according to the local government.

A total of 247 Fortune Global 500 companies have set up more than 2,300 investment projects in Binhai, with cumulative actual foreign investment exceeding $100 billion. Foreign trade volume surpassed 610 billion yuan last year, supporting the district's role as a major hub of international shipping and trade in northern China.

At the heart of Binhai's transformation lies integrated port-industry-city development. Tianjin Port, the largest comprehensive port in North China, operates 151 container routes connecting more than 180 countries and regions, with annual container throughput hitting 24 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

The port has pioneered green and smart operations. It is home to the world's first fully automated, zero-carbon container terminal powered entirely by renewable energy. New energy generation at the port now reaches 350 million kWh per year, covering 70 percent of its operational power demand. Some 2,000 hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks are also in operation, forming one of the largest hydrogen truck demonstration zones in China.

"Through green power supply and energy-saving equipment upgrades, we have achieved near-zero emissions in port operations," said Wang Bao, Party secretary of Tianjin Port Electric Power Co.

Green transition has become the defining feature of Binhai's growth, backed by a stable and low-carbon power system supported by State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Co.

By the end of last year, the installed capacity of new energy sources in Tianjin exceeded 14.84 million kilowatts, accounting for 44.59 percent of the city's total, surpassing coal to become the largest power source.

Since 2021, Tianjin's green electricity trading volume has surged from 12 million kilowatt-hours to 17.7 billion kilowatt-hours last year.

State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Co has implemented a "four-synchronization" working mechanism in the Binhai New Area, proactively planning the integration of grids and utility corridors to enable efficient incorporation of new energy.

"We are embracing the global green transition, supporting green and smart supply chains, promoting low-carbon grid upgrading, and facilitating international green cooperation for industrial enterprises," said Shan Dapeng, manager of the dual carbon operation management branch of State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Co.

Green industries have expanded rapidly in Binhai, which is home to 44 national-level green factories. In Nangang Industrial Zone, a world-class green chemical and new materials base, the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste has reached 98 percent.

The district is also deepening regional integration and high-standard opening-up. As a strategic hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, Binhai has attracted more than 300 billion yuan in investment from major Beijing-based projects over the past five years.