Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

A DELEGATION comprising young elites from Indonesia’s political parties and representatives from various sectors arrived in Shenzhen on Friday to start a tour that runs until today.

For many members of the delegation, this is their inaugural visit to Shenzhen, and they couldn’t help but be impressed by the city’s achievements in such a short span.

Sherryn from the Great Indonesia Movement Political Party said: “This is my first time visiting the city. And, what I have learned is that Shenzhen is a very new city, which is very impressive to see the development and the progress that the city has made so far under such a short period of time.”

David Sutyanto, head of the Economic Bureau of Democratic Party from Indonesia, approached the city from an economic perspective. “I am an economist, so I always see the city from an economic perspective. I see Shenzhen now is like the future of technology, where startup companies and big tech companies are based in Shenzhen and you can easily find good money sources for technologies,” Sutyanto said.

On Friday, Cao Saixian, director-general of the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, welcomed the delegation and introduced Shenzhen’s socioeconomic development and the friendly exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and Indonesia.

Cao expressed her hope that the visit will enhance the delegation’s understanding of Shenzhen and contribute to sharing the city’s and China’s stories.

During their four-day tour, the delegation visited major local companies such as medical device maker Mindray, camera maker Insta360, Qianhai, the Belt and Road Research Institute (Shenzhen) for International Cooperation and Development at Shenzhen University, the Shenzhen Reform and Opening-up Exhibition Hall, and the Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve.

The high-tech products showcased by Mindray and Insta360 left a lasting impression on the delegation, along with Qianhai’s rapid development and the Belt and Road institute’s contribution to fostering friendship between the two countries.

Ahmad Syaifuddin Zuhri, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Special Branch in China, hoped the cooperation between the two countries will extend beyond business and government interactions to include more people-to-people exchanges in the future.

Shenzhen’s appeal as a vibrant city, particularly for young people, was emphasized by Zebi Magnolia Fawwaz, spokesperson and youth representative of the Indonesia Solidarity Party.

“I think it [Shenzhen] is really attractive to young people like me because we like to hang out together. We like to search for community hubs, and I see that Shenzhen has lots of parks. You can walk like five minutes to see a park and there’s a lot of places to hang out for young people like me,” Fawwaz said. “We’re also young people who are interested in environmental issues, and I see that Shenzhen is very sensitive about those issues. As far as I know, the city also includes a sponge city concept. So, I think that will be very appealing to learn and study for young people who wanna come here.”

According to data provided by the Shenzhen Municipal Commerce Bureau, from January to April 2023, the city’s foreign trade with Indonesia reached US$1.66 billion, an increase of 5.76% year on year.