According to a report on April 4 on the website of Australia's Lowy Interpreter, in the grand picture of the construction of 100 "smart cities" in Indonesia, the figure of Chinese enterprises is eye-catching.
China is one of the largest investors in Indonesia. That's great news for President Joko Widodo - who is planning to move the seat of Indonesia's government from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.
Widodo intends to make Nusantara as Indonesia's new capital, part of a broader plan to create 100 "smart cities" across the country by 2045. There are 75 cities have been incorporated into the master plan, which aims to create carefully planned urban environments and amenities to take advantage of artificial intelligence and the next wave of "Internet of Things" developments.
This year, some Chinese companies signed memorandums of understanding with Indonesia on investment in various economic sectors, focusing on projects in Bintan Island and East Kalimantan. This is aimed at encouraging Chinese investors to invest in the smart city sector, and an exhibition organized by the Indonesian Chinese Association next month will further promote this.
According to reports, for a long time, China has been favoring Indonesia's large-scale infrastructure projects, including the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, the Morowali Industrial Park and the giant shield nickel company for nickel processing, and the North Sumatra province. Batang Toru Dam in Banuri.
China is also investing in smart city development elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Recently published research shows that Chinese companies have invested in two smart city projects in the Philippines - New Clark City and New Manila Bay-Pearl City - in the past decade. The China Development Bank has also invested in Thailand, and in 2020 China also supported the construction of the New Yangon Urban Development Project in Myanmar.
Therefore, it is entirely possible for China to invest in Indonesia's smart city field. In a previous deal, tech giant Huawei and Indonesian telco signed a memorandum of understanding on joint development of smart city platforms and solutions. Huawei also stated that it is ready to assist Indonesia in building a new capital.
Huawei provides city governments with digital services, public safety infrastructure, cybersecurity, and technical capacity building through the smart city project. One of these projects is Bandung Smart City, which was developed under the concept of "Safe City". As part of the project, Huawei worked with Telkom to build a command center that monitors cameras throughout the city.
Investing in technology to promote sustainable development also has the potential to change the Indonesian public's perception of China. China can serve as Indonesia's partner in renewable energy and technology transition.
Mutual benefit may be the common mantra, but truly smart cities will do just that.
Post time: Jun-06-2023
