A tiny ecological town being built by companies from China and France is taking shape in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Covering an area of 8.2 square kilometers, construction of the first phase of Sino-French Peninsula Town is expected to be completed in the first half of this year, with the second phase to be open to the public before year's end, said Li Zhiqiang, a senior executive of Wuhan Urban Development Group.

Located in the eastern part of the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City, the core area of the town is 2.2 sq km.

Its Binhu wetland conservation belt alone is 62 hectares, including nearly 38 hectares of water areas and 25 hectares of land, Li said.

The project preserves original ponds of all sizes and connects the water system to form a wetland chain, helping to protect the local environment and ecology, Li said.

"Construction of municipal infrastructure and the restoration of the lakeside ecological conservation zone are being accelerated, while construction of a French anime theme park and related tourism and leisure facilities, plus a China-Europe (France) flagship commercial complex and a smart transportation complex is also underway," he said.

Authorities said the city government will further strengthen international and domestic cooperation, accelerate the construction of Sino-French Peninsula Town and actively attract high-quality European enterprises, research institutions and talent in the months to come.

The Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City is the highest-level cooperation project between China and France to address environmental challenges such as climate change.