"Two Countries, Twin Parks" project energizes China-Indonesia cooperation

FUZHOU -- In the yard of a fish factory in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, nothing was eye-catching until the lids of white containers piled there were opened.

Scores of some 70cm-long sharptooth snappers were left outdoors to thaw, ready to be sent to the processing areas, where workers in white overalls stood in narrow aisles while swiftly filleting tons of fish.

Sourced from Indonesia's tropical seas, the processed ray-finned fish would soon be distributed to global retailers, adding choices for seafood lovers at home and abroad.

The fish factory named Fujian Miaotianhui Food Co., Ltd. is among dozens of food companies that operate in the Yuanhong Investment Zone, the Chinese park of the bilateral "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project with Indonesia, which is home to three other industrial parks -- the Bintan Industrial Estate, the Aviarna Industrial Estate and the Grand Batang City.

With its memorandum signed in January 2021, the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project represents a solid step to synergize the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's vision of the Global Maritime Fulcrum. It also serves as an innovative approach to deepening bilateral economic and trade ties, which has brought businesses in both countries tangible benefits.

"The project allows my business to grow by using advantages of each country, combining quality aquatic products imported from Indonesia and mature processing techniques in China," said Lin Zhengrong, general manager of the fish company.

For Saneheld (Fuqing) Food Co., Ltd., the launch of the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project has also boosted its development.

It has reached an agreement with Indonesia's Salim Group on building a marine fisheries center in Indonesia. Under the project, the first fishery base in East Java came into service in March, with an annual output of 500,000 tons, and nine more will be built.

Cooperation in other fields is also burgeoning. From digitalized cross-border transactions to expanding logistics channels and large cold chain storage facilities, the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project has gone into high gear as the Chinese park has seen 36 projects come into operation, driven by an investment of 19.8 billion yuan (2.8 billion U.S. dollars).

The "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project will further bring into play each other's advantages in resources and industrial development, forging an example for regional cooperation, said Lin Youhua, executive deputy director of the Fuqing Functional Zone Management Committee of Fuzhou New Area.