With a long-lasting blow of steam whistle, several ocean-going fishing boats berth at Yuanhong Wharf in Songxia port area in Fuzhou City, southeast China’s Fujian Province. Tens of thousands of tonnes of catches are hauled ashore from here and enter food processing enterprises within a few kilometers’ distance.

“With the acceleration of the development of China-Indonesia ‘Two Countries Twin Parks’, the demand for ocean-going catches is increasing,” said Cai Ximing, general manager of Yuanhong International Port (Fujian) Co., Ltd. 

“Last year, Yuanhong Wharf received about 20,000 tonnes of catches, which is expected to reach 50,000 tonnes this year, and the freight volume will increase in the second half of 2023,” Cai added.

The increasingly busy Yuanhong Wharf is a vivid epitome of the vigorous development of the China-Indonesia “Two Countries Twin parks” project.

The China-Indonesia “Two Countries Twin Parks” is the first innovative economic and trade development demonstration park project between China and ASEAN countries, exploring a new model of production capacity cooperation through mutual establishment of industrial parks and interconnected development. 

China designates Fuzhou-based Yuanhong Investment Zone as the Chinese park, and Indonesia, under a “one park, multiple estates” scheme, selects Bintan Industrial Estate, Aviarna Industrial Estate and Batang Industrial Estate collectively as the Indonesian park.

The project is based on top-level agreement. Since 2021, Chinese president Xi Jinping and Indonesian president Joko Widodo have held three telephone calls to reach a consensus on developing the “Two Countries Twin Parks” project. In July 2022, the two presidents met and issued a Joint Press Statement, agreeing to develop the “Two Countries Twin Parks” as a new flagship project. At the G20 Bali Summit held last November, the two countries issued a Joint Statement, underpinning the importance of continuing to promote the “Two Countries Twin Parks” development, so as to contribute more to building a community with a shared future between China and Indonesia.

Thanks to the strong government support, the project has gained great enthusiasm from enterprises, which made the first move as keen market economy pioneers.

Fujian Miaotianhui Food Co., Ltd., a food enterprise located in Yuanhong Investment Zone, is one of the first companies to go global following the call of the Belt and Road Initiative. It has opened a Penaeus vannamei breeding base and fish processing plant in Indonesia.

“With the recovery of the world economy, the global market for fresh food has been growing. We import about 40 containers of over 1,000 tonnes of catches from Indonesia every month and sell them at home and abroad, and the volume is still on the rise,” said company general manager Lin Zhengrong. 

In addition to seeking shared economic gains, Miaotianhui has in recent years leveraged its expertise to share experiences in standardized frozen warehouse construction, cold chain transportation construction and aquatic product processing with Indonesian food enterprises. The company has also introduced food processing professionals to Indonesia to help the park consolidate bilateral cooperation.

“I have been working in Miaotianhui for 8 years, rising from a newbie to a workshop director, and my salary has tripled,” said Ali, who is an employee of the company’s Indonesia factory and very grateful for her career development. Though only in her twenties, Ali manages more than 200 employees.

He Liming, chairman of Zhaohua Aquatic Food Co., Ltd. headquartered in Fujian Province’s Fuqing City, runs a Penaeus vannamei breeding base in Indonesia, and he also finds the project a mutually-beneficial initiative.

“Indonesia has a warm and humid climate and rich fishery resources. China, on the other hand, boasts mature aquatic processing technologies and a broad market. The two countries share a natural and advantageous industry complementation,” he said.

With complementary advantages, coordinated processing and shared information, more and more enterprises join the development of cross-border industrial chains in Yuanhong Investment Zone. 

For example, Saneheld (Fuqing) Food Co., Ltd. has cooperated with Salim Group to build 10 fishing bases in Indonesia, and their first fishing base has been completed and put into operation. Fujian Tianma Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. plans to invest about 50 million U.S. dollars in Indonesia to build projects to cover fishing resources such as Indonesian tuna, Penaeus vannamei, Leopard coralgrouper and Babylonia lutosa.

There are 26 cross-border industrial cooperation projects under discussion in the Chinese park, involving food processing, light industry and textiles, clean energy and other fields. Participants not only include Fujian-based going-global pioneers, but also leading ASEAN enterprises such as FKS Food and Agri, Kingland Group and PT Resources Holdings Bhd, which will expand the division of labor and cooperation in international industrial chains.

In order to attract more enterprises, the parks in the two countries are stepping up efforts to offer sound infrastructure and services.

In the Chinese park, a holding group on the “Two Countries Twin Parks” project has been established, which serves as a command post, a management committee, an investment company, an industrial fund and a think tank to promote the high-quality development of the parks. 

Besides, 15 infrastructure projects with a total investment of about 2.926 billion yuan are in full swing. The park has also applied for 40 special policies and measures that need support at or above the provincial level, involving customs clearance convenience, key elements guarantee, fiscal and tax incentives, industrial support, which are in the pipeline for official approval.

In Indonesia, the Bintan Industrial Estate and the  Batang Industrial Estate have seen the settlement of a growing number of enterprises thanks to the development opportunities offered by the project. The Aviarna Industrial Estate is in the stage of infrastructure construction, and enjoys promising development potential thanks to its location near the Port of Semarang and abundant labor force.

“The project will enhance the cooperation between Indonesia and China, especially in the industrial field,” said Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment. He pointed out that Indonesia will continue to cooperate with the Chinese government, especially with Fujian Province, to promote mutually-beneficial industrial cooperation in the project.

A partnership forged with the right approach defies geographical distance. Under the strong support of the two countries’ leaders, the “Two Countries Twin Parks” project has grown up from scratch and is advancing with high standards.

The project seeks extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and follows the Silk Road spirit to promote peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. With rapid progress and fruitful yields, the “Two Countries Twin Parks” project has won wide-ranging approval and active participation.

The project’s development has entered the fast lane since the beginning of 2023. In January, the China-Indonesia economic and trade innovation and development demonstration park was approved by China’s State Council. In February, the Indonesia-Fuzhou Investment Promotion Meeting and Project Signing Ceremony was held in Jakarta, and 15 projects were signed with a total investment of 21.6 billion yuan. In May, China (Fujian)-Indonesia “Two Countries Twin Parks” Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Conference took place in Jakarta to facilitate the project’s development, and 21 projects were signed with a total contracted amount of 43.2 billion yuan. Meanwhile, an economic cooperation and trade exchange fair was held in Fuqing City, and 10 key projects were signed with a total investment of 4.55 billion yuan.

As a grand project featuring good-neighborly friendship and win-win cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, the “Two Countries Twin Parks” will focus on building mutually-beneficial cooperation networks, new cooperation models and diversified cooperation platforms in the future.

Expected to make further contributions to building a higher-level China-ASEAN strategic partnership, the project is setting a new benchmark for creating more dynamic regional cooperation.