STORY: China, Indonesia eye stronger ties via "Two Countries, Twin Parks"
DATELINE: Sept. 20, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:09
LOCATION: Jakarta
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Pemalang district
2. various of the prawn farm
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Bahasa): JONI SETYAWAN, Seasoned Indonesian prawn farmer
4. various of the production line of Fujian MiaoTianHui Food Co., Ltd.
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN QING'AN, Legal representative of Indonesian subsidiary of Fujian MiaoTianHui Food Co., Ltd.
6. various of Fuqing Zhaohua Aquatic Food Co., Ltd.
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HE XIAOQIANG, Deputy general manager, Fuqing Zhaohua Aquatic Food Co., Ltd.
8. various of the project between China and Indonesia

STORYLINE:

In the Pemalang district of Indonesia's Central Java province, a prawn farm, covering about 70,000 square meters, was built by a Chinese company in 2021.

Once the prawn larvae here are four months old, they will undergo processing and be shipped to Fuzhou, capital city of east China's Fujian Province, about 2,000 nautical miles away.

Seasoned Indonesian prawn farmer Joni Setyawan is in charge of the farm. Since 2021, he has been working with the wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujian MiaoTianHui Food Co., Ltd., focusing on prawn cultivation.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Bahasa): JONI SETYAWAN, Seasoned Indonesian prawn farmer
"The farm has 70 cultivation ponds, each producing 3.5 to 4 tonnes of prawns a year. The season here is either dry or rainy. So, it is easier to maintain a (stable) Ph and temperature for prawn cultivation."

Fujian MiaoTianHui Food Co., Ltd. is among dozens of food companies operating in Fujian's Yuanhong Investment Zone. The zone represents the Chinese part of the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project jointly undertaken with Indonesia. The Indonesian part involves the Bintan Industrial Estate, the Aviarna Industrial Estate and the Badung Industrial Estate.

The new model of international cooperation features two countries setting up industrial parks on each other's soil and jointly facilitating development.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN QING'AN, Legal representative of Indonesian subsidiary of Fujian MiaoTianHui Food Co., Ltd.
"The Indonesian subsidiary has created many job opportunities, benefiting about 4,000 households as we estimate."

Fuqing Zhaohua Aquatic Food Co., Ltd., also from China's Fujian, has invested in Vannamei prawn farming in Indonesia, with their farm spanning a vast area of around 4 million square meters.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HE XIAOQIANG, Deputy general manager, Fuqing Zhaohua Aquatic Food Co., Ltd.
"This is the Vannamei prawn raised in our Indonesian fish farm. We established the farm in Indonesia because of its short cultivation cycle and relatively low labor costs. Thanks to the support of 'Two Countries, Twin Parks,' we enjoy fast customs clearance. After the products arrive in China, they will undergo deep processing before being made into shrimp paste."

Concerning the project between China and Indonesia, Fuzhou authorities envisioned five areas of industry chain cooperation, namely marine fishery, tropical agriculture, light industry, machinery and electronics as well as green mining. The Chinese park is now working to initiate 45 more ventures with a total investment of around 63.6 billion yuan (about 8.7 billion U.S. dollars).

China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years. In 2022, bilateral trade stood at 149.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 19.8 percent year on year.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jakarta.
(XHTV)