(Back row, from left) Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang, Shanghai mayor Gong Zheng and secretary-general of Shanghai municipal people's government Ma Chunlei witness the signing of joint deals at the Shanghai-Jakarta Overseas Investment Symposium, in Jakarta, April 26, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Shanghai and its Indonesian partners have signed deals for several investment and engineering projects, involving a total value of about $2.35 billion, during Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng’s visit to Jakarta.

The projects will lend a big boost to the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation and promote high-quality development, Gong said at a project signing ceremony at the Shanghai-Jakarta Overseas Investment Symposium on April 26.

The moves also represent an important step for Shanghai to implement national strategies and participate in international business, said Gong, who is also deputy secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang attended the ceremony.

Gong encouraged all firms to serve the national strategy, promote bilateral cooperation while seeking their own growth, and nurture benchmark projects that can boost the Belt and Road Initiative from their bases in Indonesia

Six enterprises — Shanghai Decent Investment (Group) Co Ltd, China Triumph International Engineering Co Ltd, Shanghai Electric, Shanghai Electric Power Construction Co Ltd, Shanghai Geoharbour Construction (Group) Co Ltd, and Shanghai Jiale Co Ltd — introduced their investment and engineering projects in Indonesia at the event.

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Gong said the companies should bear in mind that high-quality development is the top priority, and they should tap into resources in both the domestic and international markets.

The mayor encouraged all firms to serve the national strategy, promote bilateral cooperation while seeking their own growth, and nurture benchmark projects that can boost the Belt and Road Initiative from their bases in Indonesia. 

Taking a project-oriented approach, many companies from Shanghai are actively expanding their presence around the world and seeking win-win cooperation. 

Xu Shilong, chairman of Shanghai Geoharbour Group, said he believes his company’s technology can help Indonesia’s infrastructure development.

The Chinese firm’s patented methods for soft ground improvement have received several national and international awards.

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Liu Yu, director of Shanghai Geoharbour Group’s Indonesian Branch, said the soil improvement using vacuum preloading at Kalibaru Port Terminal Phase 1B, which was among those introduced at the ceremony, is among 13 ongoing projects carried out by his company. 

He said the project is “challenging” because of the soil condition in Kalibaru, North Jakarta. 

Shanghai Geoharbour Group has already completed more than 70 projects in Indonesia since arriving in the country in 2008, he said.

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“We try to provide the best service for Indonesia’s infrastructure. We are glad to see that,” Liu said.

Other projects signed at the ceremony included a framework agreement between Shanghai Decent Investment (Group) Co Ltd and Nickel Industries Limited on the Excelsior mining project and an installation contract for an architectural glass project between China Triumph International Engineering Co Ltd and KCC Glass Indonesia. 

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.