Foreign media: Chinese enterprises actively participate in the construction of smart cities in Indonesia

According to a report on the Australian Loy Interpreter website on April 4th, the presence of Chinese enterprises is eye-catching in the grand landscape of the construction of 100 "smart cities" in Indonesia.
China is one of the largest investors in Indonesia. For President Joko Widodo, this is a great thing - he is planning to relocate the Indonesian government seat from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.
Zoko intends to designate Nusantara as the new capital of Indonesia, which is also part of a larger plan to create 100 "smart cities" across the country by 2045. Approximately 75 existing cities have been included in the overall plan, aiming to establish a carefully planned urban environment and amenities to leverage artificial intelligence and the next wave of "Internet of Things" development.
This year, some Chinese companies signed memorandums of understanding with Indonesia regarding investment in various economic fields, with a focus on projects located on Bintan Island and East Kalimantan. This aims to encourage Chinese investors to invest in the field of smart cities, 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 large-scale infrastructure projects in Indonesia, including the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway project, the Morowali industrial park, the giant shield nickel company that processes nickel, and the Badantoru Dam located in Tabanuri, North Sumatra Province.
China is also investing in the development of smart cities in other parts of Southeast Asia. Recent research has shown that Chinese companies have invested in two smart city projects in the Philippines over the past decade - New Clark City and New Manila Bay Pearl City. 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 sector. In previous transactions, technology giant Huawei and Indonesia Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding on joint development of smart city platforms and solutions. Huawei also stated its readiness to assist Indonesia in building a new capital.
Huawei provides digital services, public security infrastructure, network security, and technological capacity building to the municipal government through its smart city project. One of the projects is Bandung Smart City, which was developed based on the concept of "safe city". As part of this project, Huawei and Indonesia Telecom have jointly built a command center to monitor the entire city's cameras.
Investing in technology to promote sustainable development may also change the perception of China among the Indonesian public. China can serve as Indonesia's partner in renewable energy and technological transformation.
Mutual benefit may be a common mantra, but true smart cities will achieve this.