Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia. A veritable forest of skyscrapers and wide, orderly roads are seen everywhere in the city. The taxi was running smoothly on the main road when the cab driver, Agus, turned around and asked the reporter: "Where are you from?" When he learned that the reporter was from China, Agus began to talk excitedly.

"Do you know Suramadu Bridge? It was built with the help of China. It is beautiful and spectacular," said Agus, with his thumbs up. "Whenever a Chinese guest rides in my car, I tell them about the bridge."

Suramadu Bridge is the longest over-sea bridge in Southeast Asia. The 5.4 km bridge spans the Madura Strait, connecting the highly-industrialized city of Surabaya to the relatively economically undeveloped Madura Island, which is rich in resources. Completed in 2009, the bridge has not only provided smooth traffic for both Surabaya and Madura residents but has also made its own great contribution to promoting local economic growth.

Suramadu Bridge is hailed as a "national bridge" by Indonesian media. Designed and constructed mainly by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) with the support of a Chinese governmental concession loan, the project exemplifies China's profound respect and goodwill toward the Indonesian people.

Chinese and Indonesian workers like brothers and sisters

Suramadu Bridge was officially inaugurated by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 10, 2009.

Didi, a corn farmer, said that compared to the ferry, the bridge has saved him so much time. Vily, a white-collar worker, said that because it only takes five minutes to drive across the strait, more and more citizens in Surabaya choose to settle down on Madura Island.

However, before the completion of the oversea bridge, the only transport at the Madura Strait was the ferryboat. A single trip sailing across the strait took nearly one hour, which was extremely inconvenient. Thus, the economic development of Madura Island was also badly restrained. Agus told the reporter, "At that time, we were always dreaming of how wonderful it would be if one day we could pass through the strait quickly and safely." But due to the lack of a proper partner in cooperation, the plan to build an over-sea bridge was discussed for more than 20 years.

After signing the construction contract, CRBC sent in many top-level bridge engineers from China and established a nearly perfect management system to assemble the Suramadu Bridge construction team, making "Chinese construction" an impressive attribute in Indonesia. During the building process, the Chinese company also helped to train the local workers and generously taught them about the advanced technology. The 700 Chinese engineers lived and worked harmoniously with the nearly 2,000 Indonesian workers like brothers and sisters. China's investment in the project deeply touched its Indonesian cooperation partners.

Jonas, a Chinese studies research fellow from an Indonesian university, told the reporter that he had had discussions with Indonesian staff on the bridge project. Jonas said he found that everyone, from managers to ordinary workers, applauded China for the dedication of the Chinese company on the project and spoke highly of the Chinese engineers transferring technological know-how to Indonesian workers.

The Suramadu Bridge has always been an important example for Jonas' teaching and research on Chinese studies.

Benefiting local people

Yuan Xiaocong, a member of CRBC who participated in the construction of Suramadu Bridge, has now transferred to the Tayan Bridge project, another construction project in Pontianak, Indonesia. More than 70 percent of the Tayan Bridge project has been completed since it started in September 2012. Once finished, this bridge will play a significant role in the construction of a highway network in the West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia, which will also greatly improve the living standards of local residents.

Yuan, who is now project manager of the Tayan Bridge project, said, "Our job is not only to build bridges but also to bring concrete benefits to local people." During the rainy season, the bumpy road leading to the middle school in Tayan fills with water, adding much stress to the commutes of local residents and students. The Tayan Bridge project team first rebuilt the road at its own expense. This move helped bring the project team closer with the local people. Many local residents said happily, with thumbs up, "CRBC is great."

Yuan has worked in Indonesia for almost 10 years and clearly knows the significance of empathy for others. He said that since launching the project, the CRBC workers have attached extra importance to building and maintaining amicable relations with local people and authorities. "Besides employing a large number of local workers and purchasing local products, we also regularly visit local residents, present small gifts at festivals and sponsor local community activities," said Yuan. These efforts have won them the praise of locals and authorities, he added.

Yuan's experience is just one example of Chinese enterprises' active participation in the construction of six economic corridors and interconnectivity projects in Indonesia, which have played a positive role in local economic development. In recent years, the pragmatic cooperation between China and Indonesia has become increasingly varied, not only in traditional areas such as economy and trade, finance, infrastructure, energy and resources, and manufacturing, but also in expanding into emerging fields including the space and marine industries. In 2013, bilateral trade volume between the two reached $68.36 billion, at an increase of 3.2 percent year on year. And in that same year, China became Indonesia's second largest trading partner.

"Economic and trade cooperation are the most prominent aspects of the development of bilateral relations between China and Indonesia. They are visible in both the trade volume and growth rates of the two sides," Jusuf Wanandi, an Indonesian scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the reporter.

Wanandi added, "For us, the friendship between China and Indonesia is irreplaceable."