China's Role in Building Indonesia's New Capital City in the Borneo Jungle
Chinese investors clearing land for Nusantara, the US$1.6 billion infrastructure project to relocate Indonesia's seat of government
Hızlı Bakış
- Indonesia is building a new capital city, Nusantara (IKN), in the Borneo jungle with significant Chinese investment.
- Chinese firms are clearing land and constructing roads, tunnels, and mass transit systems worth a combined 55 trillion rupiah (US$1.57 billion), transforming the ecological area that currently houses endangered sun bears.
Yapay zekâ özeti
After an hour's drive through the jungle of Borneo, you reach more jungle. Your rental van from the Balikpapan city airport shakes precariously, navigating a partial bridge washout. A roadside sign admonishes against poaching the endangered sun bears. Welcome to Ibu Kota Nusantara, known locally as just Nusantara or IKN. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, it will be a brand new city housing the 287 million-person archipelago's seat of government. For now, it is still a jungle. But investors from China are clearing away a lot of that land to build the capital. Without them, the flora and fauna would keep a firm grip on the area. Chinese firms are also taking part in road and tunnel construction work worth 27 trillion rupiah (US$1.57 billion) and mass transit projects for 28 trillion rupiah, according to data compiled by Asia-Pacific Economics.
