SAILING THE MARITIME SILK ROAD

By Tian Yuan

“This depicts Chinese Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He’s landing on Semarang during his voyages to Southeast Asia, at which time the ancient Maritime Silk Road had already been developed,” explained Ahmad, a young teacher from Indonesia’s Central Java Province, to his students visiting a museum at the National Monument in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

As an educator, Ahmad is always looking for opportunities to broaden his horizons. “Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, a number of leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama [the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia] have made visits to China,” he revealed. “My country wants to help young scholars like myself and the young generation find opportunities to travel along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and visit cities along the route such as Guangzhou,Xiamen, Shanghai and Beijing.”His newlywed wife Rini, a university lecturer in business administration, shared Ahmad’s sentiments.

Highly Expected Initiatives

Now Ahmad’s dream is becoming more accessible.In terms of top-level design,a China-ASEAN cooperation mechanism for marine environmental protection will be established, according to a document titled Vision for Maritime Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative jointly released by China’s National Development and Reform Commission and State Oceanic Administration in 2017. The document also mentioned that cooperation would be implemented under the framework of the China-ASEAN environment cooperation strategy and action plan and that “China is willing to work closely with countries along the Road, engage in all-dimensional and broad-scoped maritime cooperation, build open and inclusive cooperation platforms and establish a constructive and pragmatic Blue Partnership that serves as a ‘blue engine’ for sustainable development.”

A bird’s eye view of a wharf in Tsingshan Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a key project of China-Indonesia cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

A number of key projects within the China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network have made progress. The first phase of China-ASEAN Port Logistics Information Center has been completed, which facilitates information-sharing between China’s Qinzhou Port and several ports in ASEAN countries. Five new shipping routes connecting Qinzhou Port with main ports in ASEAN countries are now in operation, including one reaching Jakarta. With the network functioning smoothly,more Chinese enterprises have invested in overseas ports, and more ASEAN companies have partnered with Chinese firms to jointly build ports, open up new routes and construct logistics parks, resulting in a closer maritime connectivity between China and ASEAN member states.

In the context of deepening China-ASEAN maritime cooperation, the joint efforts of China and Indonesia to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road have been highly anticipated.According to Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian, Indonesia was not only an important hub along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, but also where the initiative of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was first announced. As the largest country in ASEAN, Indonesia contributes about 40 percent of ASEAN’s territory, population and economy, playing an important role in both regional and global economies.

As major developing countries, China and Indonesia are natural partners. The two countries bear similar tasks in developing their respective economies and improving their people’s livelihood, and the two sides are highly complementary in sectors such as infrastructure,productivity and finance. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, strong synergy has developed between China’s initiative for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Nexus vision. The two countries have deepened bilateral exchange and cooperation in various fields and raised the bilateral relations to new heights.

On July 31, 2016,a ceremony commemorating Chinese explorer Zheng He (1371-1433) is held in Semarang,Indonesia.

Productive Cooperation

Over the past five years, Sino-Indonesian cooperation has yielded impressive results within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and Indonesia have maintained frequent high-level exchange, with mutual political trust continuously deepening.President Joko Widodo paid five visits to China within three years and met with President Xi Jinping six times. Leaders of the two countries reached important consensus on forging synergy between their development strategies and promoting all-round pragmatic cooperation. Since then, a variety of cooperation mechanisms have been established at all levels and in various fields, propelling bilateral relations forward.

The two countries have also fostered closer economic ties and strengthened pragmatic cooperation. In 2017, two-way trade reached US$63.3 billion,up 18.3 percent year-on-year.As Indonesia’s exports to China increased by 33 percent, bilateral trade has achieved a more balanced development. Last year China made a total of US$3.4 billion investment in Indonesia,a year-on-year increase of more than 30 percent. Indonesia has become one of the top ten destinations for Chinese overseas investment. A number of key projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway have made steady progress.Cooperation in infrastructure,production capacity and the digital economy has propelled the growth of bilateral relations.

The two countries have witnessed more frequent peopleto-people exchange and mutual understanding has deepened.China is now Indonesia’s largest source of foreign tourists. In 2017, the number of tourists from China to Indonesia reached 2.06 million, an increase of 275 percent compared to 2013. With over 14,000 Indonesian students studying in China, China is also the second largest host of Indonesian students. Two giant pandas, Caitao and Huchun,who settled in Indonesia last year, have become new envoys of friendship between peoples of the two countries.

In 2017, the number of tourists from China to Indonesia reached 2.06 million,an increase of 275 percent compared to 2013.

With over 14,000 Indonesian students studying in China, China is also the second largest host of Indonesian students.

These achievements have demonstrated the profound power of the Belt and Road Initiative to foster mutually beneficial and winwin cooperation. Following the principles of extensive consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits, the Initiative has contributed a new model and a new approach for international economic cooperation, injecting new fire to the next round of globalization.

The water separating China and Indonesia brings the two sides common interests,remarked Chinese Premier Li Keqiang when meeting Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, special envoy of the Indonesian President and Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs,in Beijing on April 12 of this year. Li also noted that this year coincides with the fifth anniversary of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and that China is ready to work with Indonesia to enhance high-level exchange, find greater synergy between development strategies and transform economic complementary advantages into tangible results of cooperation in infrastructure, investment and production capacity. Sino-Indonesian cooperation will not only bring real benefits to peoples of both countries, but also contribute significantly to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also announced that China is willing to work with Indonesia to prepare for highlevel visits this year, promote construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and support Indonesia in building the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor so the two sides can produce more mutually beneficial and win-win results.

China and Indonesia’s joint efforts to build a closer China-ASEAN partnership on marine development will enrich the connotations of China-ASEAN community of shared future and an Asian community of shared future as well.

In 2017, two-way trade reached US$63.3 billion,up 18.3 percent year-on-year.

As Indonesia’s exports to China increased by 33 percent,bilateral trade has achieved a more balanced development.

Last year China made a total of US$3.4 billion investment in Indonesia, a year-on-year increase of more than 30 percent.Indonesia has become one of the top ten destinations for Chinese overseas investment.

Synergizing Development Strategies

As an open, transparent and inclusive platform for international cooperation,the Belt and Road Initiative eliminates the zero-sum game and geopolitical competition and is not targeted at any country. It is solely focused on the fundamental issue of development and aimed at helping countries along the route realize independent and sustainable development. The grand plan has been warmly received by Indonesia and other countries along the route as well as the international community.

President Joko Widodo proposed a new initiative for promoting cooperation on Indonesia’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor when he attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing last year and expressed hope to make it another landmark project of synergizing the development strategies of Indonesia and China. During his visit to China this April, Luhut said that Indonesia is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, enhance high-level exchange and deepen synergy between the Global Maritime Nexus vision and the Belt and Road Initiative to bring greater benefits to both sides and the entire region. He also noted that the purpose of his visit was to promote the alignment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and strengthen pragmatic cooperation between the two sides towards mutual benefits. He expressed hope that Premier Li’s visit to Indonesia would further promote the healthy development of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

When asked for his suggestions on joint construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Ahmad pointed out that the two major maritime nations can work together in many areas.

First, cooperation in maritime public services should be strengthened in areas such as marine management and marine disaster prevention and mitigation to minimize risk and safeguard maritime security. Second, establishment of the Blue Partnership should be accelerated to promote exchange in marine economic development planning, marine spatial planning and industrial parks planning and to enhance vocational training and talent cultivation. The third is to raise China-ASEAN maritime partnership to a higher level.

China is now playing an increasingly important role in global governance, as is Indonesia in regional diplomacy as a major ASEAN member state.Therefore, China and Indonesia’s joint efforts to build a closer China-ASEAN partnership on marine development will enrich the connotations of China-ASEAN community of shared future and an Asian community of shared future as well.

So what are we waiting for? My good partners in Indonesia, let’s join hands to sail the Maritime Silk Road and pave it as a route to prosperity, openness, innovation and civilization.