Feature: Suramadu Bridge showcases mutually beneficial cooperation between China, Indonesia

by Fei Liena, Zheng Shibo, Liang Hui

JAKARTA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Every night, on the beaches along the landmark Surabaya-Madura Bridge (Suramadu Bridge), local people and tourists would comfortably sit or lie on the sand, drinking coffee and enjoying the spectacular view of the neon-lit bridge.

Harsa, an employee from Surabaya, the second largest city of Indonesia, said he comes here every week to relax and enjoy the seaside. "Thanks to the Suramadu Bridge, I can travel to Madura Island across the sea much more easily than before," he said.

"It's really pretty, isn't it?" he showed pictures of the bridge on his mobile phone to us, smiling.

The 5,438-meter Suramadu Bridge, the largest cross-sea bridge in Indonesia, started construction in October 2005 and was completed on June 10, 2009 after three and a half years of hard work by the Indonesian Public Works Ministry and the bridge's main contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

Before the bridge was built, local people and tourists often took long hours waiting for ferry to travel between Java Island and Madura Island. After its opening, the Suramadu Bridge cuts transportation time from 30 minutes to just 5 minutes.

According to data from the Indonesian Statistics Bureau, the average flow of motor vehicles on the bridge was 42,000 per day in 2016, and since then the number has kept rising every year.

"This number is pretty huge, bringing great economic and social benefits to the local government and people," Wei Wen, CRBC's Indonesia office general manager, told Xinhua.

Locals call it "the bridge of people's livelihood," as it facilitates transportation, attracts more commodities to flow between Java and Madura, and increases their income.

Sa'adah used to work as a household helper in Saudi Arabia. After the Suramadu Bridge opened in 2009, she decided to move back to her hometown and opened a gift shop under the bridge.

Everyday, especially on weekends, tourists from domestic and abroad would swarm into Madura Island, also buying souvenirs and gifts at Sa'adah's shop.

"Business is quite good," she said. "My earnings can totally support my whole family, including education for my three children."

Along the road under the Suramadu Bridge, there are more than 100 such shops, as well as restaurants and cafes.

"Madura has advanced industries of animal husbandry, salt, tobacco and lilac. It's also famous for its traditional bull-racing festival," said Sidik Wiyoto, chief secretary of Surabaya Madura Regional Development Agency. "However, the Madura Sea used to isolate Madura Island from the outside world, restricting its economic development. Its four regencies are among the least developed in the country."

"Now the Suramadu Bridge acts like the main artery of Madura Island, sending people and commodities through the veins."

The bureau has been planning industrial, commercial, trade and tourism zones in the Surabaya-Madura area, hoping to speed up its development process, Wiyoto noted.

"The Chinese enterprise helped us build this bridge, we hope China can do more and help us develop this region," he said.

According to Gu Jingqi, Chinese consul general in Surabaya, China and Indonesia have been actively developing closer synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's Global Maritime Axis vision.

The mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, capacity-building, trade and commerce, investment, finance, and e-commerce has been moving forward, Gu said.

And a batch of significant cooperative projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway are well under way, he added. Enditem