By Yophiandi Kurniawan
Head of Foreign Affairs of Indonisia Cyber Media Network (JMSI), Indonesia
Well, I am not the first timer come to China. Yet, almost every time I visit China, always new thing for me, at least. Let me begin with 2013, when my first visit to Beijing, the Great Wall is the priority for me. Then, when visit the street market in Wang Fu Jing, I realize this city is never sleeps. The biggest requirement for the megapolitan, the service for tourism, mostly, as the head of the economic measurement. You will find many things—if you can’t tell it anything you need—there. Start from body needs, until your stomach. Especially stomach actually.
Yet, after 3 years, I stopped by for 5 days, in The Jefferson Fellowship program from East West Center, United States. From the start I had been introduced to the solar panel, wind turbine, and water turbine, as the machine for electricity as the renewable energy. I met with scholars in Beijing University talked about the future of China. That is to become the giant tech.
It is about a year later, people around the world witness how China popularized the 5G, in dispute with President Donald Trump—I don’t mention US, because it depends on the administration. The tech, with Huawei as the frontline, is become noticed. If we didn’t see the intention of Trump administration about the Huawei case, many people, especially the public relations consultant may see the dispute become a good advertising. People start to recognize China as the competitor in giant tech. The semiconductors, known as the chips, is become the land of battle, where the future tech is shaped.
All of these matters, cannot be cut from the chain of actions of Deng Xiaoping reform. Not just economic, Deng reshaped the mindset of people in China. It is not about pragmatism—known as white and black cat to catch a mouse—that comes from the Sichuanese saying—Deng originated from Sichuan. What Deng does is to the mindset of billions of Chinese today. Education as the key to openness of modernity. This is how Chinese become the leader of economic now, especially in trade and supply chain.
Today we witness how the tariff war made the world recognized China as the master of supply chain—the principle of trade. Not only for simple goods, but also for sophisticated ones. Electric vehicle—starting from its nickel for the battery–as one of them, besides the main production of solar panel as one of the keys of renewable energy and any other technology, involving chips.
Therefore, no wander, if recently China shows us, the cities in China are growing, following the stream of the rivers. One of them the stream of Yangtze River. Last year I visited Chongqing, the epicenter of western China growth. Indeed, we know Chongqing from its advertising for Liziba or Hongyadong. It is more. Because the tech also developed here, like no driver car.
So, despite of the slow of economic growth in China, the technology is growing faster. Therefore, I see the reality is, the economic growth is no longer the measurement for China welfare. How fast the tech and the education spread to the people are.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.