By Anas Hassan

Modern Maritime Silk Road Much More Than Trade

By Anas Hassan

ASEAN journalists interviewing Wang Jinjian (left), Deputy Mayor of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

About the author: Anas Hassan is a journalist with the Malaysia National News Agency.

ASEAN member states and the People’s Republic of China have enjoyed a good dialogue relationship for the past 25 years. Both ASEAN and China have given priority to cooperation in various fields and have been working hard to improve their relations, share experiences and seek development opportunities.

The good relations between China and the 10 ASEAN member states have now been enhanced with the establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative. Through the Initiative, which was started by Chinese President Xi Jinping back in 2013, ASEAN and China have experienced a robust and all-round relationship and have brought tangible benefits to more than 1.3 billion Chinese people and 625 million people living in ASEAN countries.

In 2015 alone, the trade and investment value among ASEAN countries with China reached US$470 billion and US$150 billion respectively.

However, the Belt and Road Initiative is now expected to offer much more than conventional trade between the two sides, and should be nurtured for the benefit of the people living along the route.

Recently, 15 journalists from the 10 ASEAN member states had the opportunity to experience for themselves how the development of China has boosted positive relations between ASEAN and China.

China-ASEAN Educational Exchanges

Among other efforts to strengthen the relations between China and its neighboring countries via the Belt and Road Initiative are the educational and cultural exchanges between the two sides. Speaking on education, ACC Secretary General Yang Xiuping said China is now hosting more than 68,000 ASEAN students in its higher education institutions across the country. The number of ASEAN students in China is expected to rise as China has opted to invite more students from neighboring countries to further their studies.

“The number of ASEAN students is expected to surpass 100,000 by the year 2020,” Yang said.

The establishment of China-ASEAN educational centers across the country is another initiative that will further enhance their educational exchanges. Thirty such centers have been established since 2004, when it was initially designed to provide vocational training of necessary skills for migrant workers from countries neighboring China.

One center that caught the attention

of the journalists is based in Ruili, a city in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, bordering the Muse district of Myanmar. Ruili sees more than 50,000 people cross the China-Myanmar border every day. Most of the people crossing the border from Myanmar do so to work in various sectors, including services, hotels and the manufacturing industry.

Realizing that foreign workers may not be familiar with China’s related labor laws and regulations, as well as local culture and customs, the educational center there provides hands-on training for foreign workers. The director of the center, Luo Hailin, said the center serves as a pilot project for foreigners who wish to work in the province. The center will soon be upgraded to college status. Luo said Yunnan Nationalities University in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, provides funding for the training center.

Located in Suzhou, a renowned cultural, historical and tourist city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, and close to the metropolitan city of Shanghai, Soochow University was founded in 1900 and is known for its vigorous international collaboration and exchanges. It has academic links and cooperation with more than 170 universities worldwide.

The university has so far recruited more than 2,000 ASEAN students, most of whom were admitted to undergraduate medical programs, Chinese language programs and other areas of study.

The establishment of China-ASEAN educational centers across the country is another initiative that will further enhance their educational exchanges. Thirty such centers have been established since 2004.

Industrial Cooperation

On the other hand, conventional trading and industrial cooperation between ASEAN and China is still a top priority and has room for further progress.

This can be seen in Suzhou, home of many industrial properties, including the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). SIP is spread over an area of 288 square kilometers with more than 500 companies from Singapore and China spearheading industries since the park was established in 1994.

Xia Fang, director of the SIP Administrative Committee Publicity Department, said the park expects more investment in the future and more participation from industrial players, especially those from Southeast Asia.

“With the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, we hope to get more industry players to boost their investment in SIP,” Xia said.

Taicang City in Suzhou is another example of the rising trade activities that have benefited from the Belt and Road Initiative. Taicang has a coastline of 38.8 kilometers along the Yangtze River, a 12.5-meter-deep golden waterway. The port was home to famous Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He, who made voyages to the western seas six centuries ago.

The modern port can accommodate ships up to 200,000 tons. It was designed to deliver a shipment capacity of 130 million tons. It is nationally recognized as a main port for container transportation on the north wing of the Shanghai International Navigation Center, a hub for transportation by river and sea.

On the other hand, the Taicang Port Economic and Technological Development Zone is the backbone of the city’s port and trade activities. With the development orientation of a large port, including comprehensive logistics and key industries, the total area of 261.8 square kilometers is set to be the national level platform resources of the national development zone, free trade zone and first-grade port.

Wuxi is another large city in southern Jiangsu Province, with a total area of 4,627 square kilometers and a population of 6.4 million. Wuxi is well-known for being one of the birthplaces of China’s modern industry and commerce, as well as the hometown of many important businessmen who have played essential roles in building commerce in Shanghai since the early 20th century. In 2015, Wuxi invested in more than 160 projects across ASEAN countries with a total investment of US$1.1 billion and a total trading value of US$8.6 billion.

Wang Jinjian, Deputy Mayor of Wuxi, said that Wuxi’s government has identified more related industries that can further cooperate with its sister cities in ASEAN.

“We are enjoying a very positive venture with the majority of ASEAN member states and we hope to strengthen such cooperation,” Wang said.

ASEAN journalists pose with ASEAN students at Soochow University.

Media’s Role

Strong relations between ASEAN and China have further exceeded expectations with more room for future cooperation under China’s policies and initiatives. Therefore, to strengthen relations and further promote socio-economic development between the two sides, media should play a crucial role in disseminating important information.

In this regard, ACC Secretary General Yang Xiuping suggested that the media could increase their coverage and promptly disseminate the message of friendly cooperation and portray the ongoing development of all activities relating to the two sides. New media is one of the main platforms that could be fully utilized by media agencies from both ASEAN and China.

“Of course, some articles published on social media have been very critical, but criticism makes it better for the people and the government to make good progress,” Yang said. “The year 2017 is very important for both ASEAN and China.”