Indonesian-Chinese delegation visits Xiamen for BRI themed trip

An Indonesian-Chinese delegation, led by the consul of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, visits Xiamen, Fujian province from Sept 21 to 22. [Photo/fo.xm.gov.cn]

An Indonesian-Chinese delegation, led by the consul of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, visited Xiamen, Fujian province from Sept 21 to 22 to learn more about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The delegation consisted of 13 Indonesian Chinese from the Djakarta Jinmen Foundation for Mutual Assistance.

Chen Junyong, deputy director of Xiamen's Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, briefed them on the Chinese city's economic and social development.

Chen said that exchanges between Indonesia and Xiamen have enjoyed a long history and at present, more than 200 Indonesian Chinese study in the city's Huaqiao University, a university for students of overseas Chinese backgrounds to pursue higher education in their ancestral homelands.

More than 20 million Chinese people have settled down in Indonesia, two-thirds of whose ancestral home is in Fujian, according to Zhang Xiaolin, consul of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia.

Wang Chen-k'un, president of the Djakarta Jinmen Foundation for Mutual Assistance, promised to encourage more Indonesian Chinese to visit Xiamen and also to play an active role in the construction of the BRI.

The BRI is an economic framework to increase connectivity between China and partner countries based on the ancient Silk Road and maritime routes and Xiamen, as a pivotal city along these maritime routes, is playing an increasingly more important role in the BRI.