By Aditya E.S. Wicaksono

Yangtze Megacities Seek Stronger Ties with ASEAN

By Aditya E.S. Wicaksono

About the author: Aditya E.S. Wicaksono is a reporter for the Antara News Agency in Indonesia.

China’s Jiangsu Province had been raining for days as the Typhoon Haima made landfall in the Phillipines during the fourth week of October.

Nevertheless, the wet days and the grayish sky didn’t dilute the spirit of 15 journalists from ASEAN member countries in witnessing the rapidly growing megacities in the Yangtze River Delta region during the China-ASEAN Media Journey on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, organized by China’s State Council Information Office and the ASEAN-China Center (ACC), hosted by China Report Press under China International Publishing Group.

The journalists arrived in Shanghai, a major Chinese financial center. However, the most interesting places were in Shanghai’s back garden — cities like Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing that are thriving and developing into major Chinese economic hubs. By improving road networks and constructing metro systems and high-speed railways, China has a vision to connect the cluster of large cities between Shanghai and Nanjing into a linked urban zone.

Within the Belt and Road Initiative proposed in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Jiangsu Province is prepared to take on a role as one of the starting points and hubs in boosting connectivity and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

Around 130 kilometers to the northwest of Shanghai is Suzhou, the second largest city in Jiangsu Province after the capital of Nanjing. Covering an area of 8,488 square kilometers and home to 6.6 million people, Suzhou has been regarded as a megacity by the Chinese government since the end of 2015. Clocking a GDP of 1.45 trillion yuan (US$225 billion) in 2015, Suzhou is striving to become an advanced manufacturing base, as well as an industrial science and technology innovation highland in Jiangsu Province.

The city has become a home for at least 14 national level economic development zones such as the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Taicang Port Economic and Technology Development Zone. Taicang Port, a large river port, serves as the gate at the estuary of the Yangtze River. The port is nationally recognized as an artery port for container transportation as well as the first river port in China to be managed in line with seaport measures.

As Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze River is believed to be a cradle of Chinese ancient civilization. It is astonishingly wide, and the sheer size of the river alone allows tankers, cargo ships and large haul sea liners to pass through it.

Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Taicang Port Economic and Technological Development Zone Zou Jiahong said that the Belt and Road Initiative offers great opportunity for cooperation and investment between China and ASEAN.

“The zone is located near the ocean and it will be great to have more cooperation with Southeast Asian countries in the future,” Zou said.

Another allure of Suzhou is its designation as the Chinese capital of silk. A complex integrating an international professional textile market, fashion silk exhibition and trade center called the Oriental Textile City was recently opened in Shengze Town. The textile city is expected to create a communication channel through exhibitions and fairs as well as trade and cooperation between the producers and ASEAN countries participating in the silk and textile industry.

“ASEAN countries have large development potential and are blessed with plenty of human and energy resources,” Wang said.

Closer Ties with ASEAN

Meanwhile, in the neighboring megacity of Wuxi, Deputy Mayor of Wuxi Wang Jinjiang said that the Belt and Road Initiative is a road to opening up for China.

“We welcome our ASEAN friends to take part and China will be ready to share with you our experience and success stories,” Wang said during a meeting with the visiting ASEAN media representatives.

Wuxi covers a total area of 4,627 square kilometers and has a strong industrial base. The city, where around 6.5 million people live, is also home to around 200,000 registered industrial and commercial enterprises. Around 100 large listed companies have also invested in Wuxi and been involved in the economic, cultural and social construction of the city.

Wuxi has maintained close connection with ASEAN countries, Wang said.The volume of trade between Wuxi and ASEAN countries in 2015 was US$8.6 billion, contributing 12 percent of the to-

tal trade volume of the megacity. Wuxi invested in 160 projects, with a total value of US$1.1 billion, in Southeast Asian countries last year.

HOdo Group, one of the key enterprises of Jiangsu Province, is headquartered in Wuxi. The group has taken part in the investment and construction of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) in Cambodia. The special economic zone, which is jointly operated by both China and Cambodia, has attracted more than 100 global enterprises, providing jobs to around 13,000 local people.

Chinese enterprises are in the state of expanding their market access. They are now looking overseas for investment.

“ASEAN countries have large development potential and are blessed with plenty of human and energy resources,”Wang said.

Still, transforming into giant industrial and commercial bases doesn’t mean that the expansion is simply stuffed with factories, shopping malls, boulevards or skyscrapers, leaving no room for the countryside or scenic spots. Wuxi has over 2,500 years of history, with an abundant display of relics and sites of historical interest such as the city canals, pagodas, stone bridges, classical gardens and ancient water towns.

Dangkou is a national top level scenic spot of tourism located to the southeast of Wuxi proper. The local administration has restored the town and made it one of the focuses of protection of Chinese historical and cultural sites.

With more than 2,000 international flights per week between China and ASEAN countries, China is aiming to attract more visitors. In 2015, the country welcomed more than 23 million visitors from ASEAN countries.

Taicang Port, Jiangsu Province.

Center of Culture and Education

Nanjing lies 190 kilometers to the west of Wuxi. A Chinese-built high-speed train, however, brought the journalists from Wuxi to Nanjing in only 50 minutes.

“This train is as comfortable as a Japanese train,” said Imchai Porntavan, one of the journalists in attendance, while cruising at 300 kilometers per hour to Nanjing.

Nanjing has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture and previously served as the capital of various Chinese dynasties and kingdoms. The 6,600-square-kilometer municipality also has long been a major center of culture, research and education in southern China that has attracted students from Southeast Asian countries such as Indah Rastika Sari from Indonesia.

Sari, who comes from Indonesia’s Aceh Province, is now in her second year studying communication and journalism at Nanjing Normal University.

“This is an opportunity and chance for me to learn about Chinese culture. And learning the language [Mandarin] is one of added values of studying in China,” Sari said.

ACC Secretary General Yang Xiuping underlined that education exchanges have become an integral part of China-ASEAN cooperation during a general lecture at Nanjing Normal University.

“Overseas students are the bridge and the future of the relationship between China and ASEAN,” Yang said.

In 2015, a record 190,000 students were engaged in educational exchange between China and ASEAN countries. Currently, around 68,000 students from Southeast Asian countries are studying in universities across China. In 2016, that number is expected to increase to 100,000 students.

China so far has at least 31 Confucius institutes established in ASEAN countries as an educational organization to promote Chinese language and culture and facilitate cultural exchange in the Southeast Asian countries. In addition, four Chinese Cultural Centers have been established in Thailand, Singapore, Laos and Cambodia.

Yang revealed that in the 25 years of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, bilateral trade volume between the two increased from US$7.96 billion in 1991 to US$472 billion in 2015.