Construction of the first phase of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) in the city's Jinnan district, will enter service in June. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first phase of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) will enter service in June.

With a total investment of 18 billion yuan ($2.79 billion), the center in Tianjin's Jinnan district covers 1.38 million square meters, with its total indoor and outdoor exhibition space to hit 550,000 sq m, according to Wang Yanhua, vice-general manager of the National Convention & Exhibition Center (Tianjin) Co.

The center will be one of the largest in the world. It is the third State-level modern pavilion for the Ministry of Commerce to stage exhibitions, joining venues for the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

In June, the center will usher in its first exhibition — the China Building Science Conference and Green Intelligent Building Expo.

It is estimated that more than 500 exhibiting companies and 150,000 visitors will attend the expo.

Other expos, including an international auto show, a furniture show and the China International Industry Expo 2022 are in the pipeline for the second half of 2022.

In addition, the high-investment project is pivotal to integrating Tianjin's Jinnan district into the city's wider plan to become an international and internal consumption and business center, as outlined in the city's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), district director Deng Guanghua said.

"The fresh new expo center will be unique among the country's existing expo centers, because it is located in the mainstay of the city's ecological protection campaign," he said.

The Green Ecological Barrier, launched over the past two years, aims to build a 736 square kilometer barrier in the city, with lakes, grasslands and forests.