Chinese flood Johor in Malaysia to invest in US$100b ‘eco city’ billed as the ‘next Shenzhen’
Lured by its proximity to Singapore, investors from China are making a beeline for southern Malaysia, where an ambitious US$100 billion real-estate development called Forest City is changing the face of the landscape
The moment I set foot in the immigration building, I am approached by two customs officers in army fatigues, buzzing walkie-talkies strapped at the shoulder. Before I start worrying about what’s in my backpack, they address me in a friendly, almost conspiratorial tone. My jaws unclench as I realise the object of their concern – the queue. It’s long. Frighteningly so.
I am at the Tuas checkpoint, on the southern side of the Malaysia-Singapore border, waiting to leave the Lion City for a visit to the state of Johor. It’s Friday afternoon, probably the worst time of the week for such an undertaking, but the queues have been made significantly worse of late by an overwhelming number of tourists from China crossing the Johor Strait.
“We’re not really prepared for such waves of people,” says one of the officers. The immigration building is modern and spacious, with several counters open, but looking at the queues, I understand what he means. “We’ll let you out through this other lane, you’ll just have to swipe your passport at the machine,” he continues, sotto voce, pointing at an empty lane reserved for Singaporean citizens.
I feel like I’m being smuggled out, and I can’t help blushing when I look again at those desperate faces sulking their way through never-ending lines. One swipe, and I’m out of Singapore.
My luck lasts only so long, though. Once at the tiny, disorganised Malaysian checkpoint, there’s no escaping the body-to-body shuffle. This time, no officer comes to my rescue. The only way to cut the queue would be to go to Forest City.
The grandest real-estate development under way in Johor, the “next Shenzhen” is just 10 minutes by car from the Malaysian checkpoint and will one day cover what is now only sea, mangrove wetlands and fishing villages. The 20 sq km city, straddling four man-made islands, will eventually accommodate up to 700,000 residents.