Many big, resource-rich countries have special-purpose capitals – think Brasilia, Canberra or Ottawa – and Indonesia plans to do the same, establishing a smart city Nusantara on the east coast of Borneo as a new home for the capital, which is now Jakarta.
Infrastructure opportunity
To help Hong Kong’s infrastructure and real estate-related services (IRES) sectors seize opportunities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is promoting its Building for the Future campaign in Indonesia for the first time, bringing a delegation to Jakarta from 27 February to 2 March.
Events such as the Hong Kong Forum on Urban Development, business matching sessions and meetings with government and business leaders give Indonesia and Hong Kong companies an opportunity to explore partnerships.
In recent years, Indonesia has accelerated infrastructure construction to boost economic growth. Indonesia’s Government allocated an infrastructure development budget of Rp392 trillion (US$26 billion) this year to improve the provision of basic services, and productivity through connectivity and mobility infrastructure.
The delegation – co-led by Ir Dr Hon Lo, Member (Functional Constituency – Engineering) of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (fourth from left, front row, main picture), and HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Mr Stephen Liang (second from right) – comprises 17 delegates from a wide range of professional sectors, including architecture, engineering, property development, construction and urban planning.
Key forum
A highlight of the mission, the Hong Kong Forum on Urban Development focused on smart city, modern city development and urban planning, and architecture design. Delegates introduced the strengths and value-added services of Hong Kong IRES and explored collaboration opportunities between Indonesia and Hong Kong in infrastructure development projects. Dr Ir Herry Trisa Putra Zuna, Directorate General of Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia, addressed the Forum, with more than 300 Indonesian government and businesses leaders attending.
“As the world's largest archipelagic state, Indonesia places much emphasis on infrastructure. With its rapid infrastructure development and capital relocation, there are many arising opportunities,” Mr Liang said in his welcome remarks at the forum.
“The post-pandemic new normal has set in, the Hong Kong-Mainland China border has reopened, and Hong Kong has removed international travel restrictions. In this period of revitalisation, there is no better time than the present to capture new opportunities that will benefit Indonesian and Hong Kong businesses communities and strengthen economic growth in both places.”
Mr Liang added: “Hong Kong has long been a leader in infrastructure and real estate-related services, from building and construction to architecture, engineering and surveying. Equipped with decades of experience in large-scale building projects, Hong Kong businesses are ideally placed to provide quality services in infrastructure and real estate-related services.”
Urban construction
The plenary session featured internationally renowned Hong Kong IRES companies – namely Arup, hpa, MVA, and Sino Group – which discussed smart-city development, the infrastructure outlook as well as urban construction.
Two thematic sessions followed, with Hong Kong delegates sharing success cases on environmental engineering and sustainable urban architecture.
The forum also featured business-matching sessions where Indonesian enterprises could have one-on-one meetings with Hong Kong delegates to explore opportunities and exchange ideas about Indonesia’s infrastructure and urban construction projects.
Hong Kong is known as a leading global financial centre. With a worldwide network, a full range of financial products and a large talent pool, Hong Kong is an ideal place for Indonesian companies to engage in IRES projects.
Over the course of its visit, the delegation will meet Indonesian Government and business leaders during visits to prominent infrastructure and urban development to capture business opportunities between Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Since the launch of the Building for the Future campaign in 2015, the HKTDC has led Hong Kong urban development services missions to eight cities in Mainland China as well as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The HKTDC will continue to organise promotions to highlight Hong Kong’s strengths in infrastructure and urban construction.
Related link
Capital City Project
