Jember Regency Forges Sister City Partnership with Jinhua, China

“Welcome to Jember Regency. I hope you all enjoy your stay in Jember and will return to this beloved city again,” stated Regent Gus Fawait in a written statement on Friday (5/6/2026). During the meeting held on Tuesday (2/6), Gus Fawait continuously smiled and firmly shook hands with the important figures present. This gathering marked a historic moment for Jember Regency after the Jember Regency Government sealed a Sister City partnership with the City of Jinhua. In approximately 18 minutes, Gus Fawait outlined Jember’s potential underpinning the cooperation with Jinhua. “Islamic boarding school communities are already familiar with the phrase ‘uthlubul ilma walau bish-shiin’ – Seek knowledge even unto China,” he remarked. Beyond the pursuit of knowledge, Gus Fawait affirmed the local government’s commitment to building a mutually beneficial cooperation oriented towards public welfare. Jember is deemed to possess various potentials that can form the foundation for international collaboration. With a total population reaching 2.6 million, Jember holds strengths in several sectors, including agriculture, plantations, education, and the creative industry. As one of East Java’s food baskets, Jember offers superior commodities such as maize, robusta coffee, edamame, okra, tobacco, and cigars that have successfully penetrated export markets. Furthermore, natural resource strengths are supported by an educational powerhouse featuring universities, schools, and Islamic boarding schools. Observing this significant potential, Gus Fawait hopes the partnership with Jinhua will not focus solely on economic affairs. He indicated that Sister City status is not merely a title, expressing a desire to open opportunities for broader collaboration in sectors such as education, healthcare, trade, investment, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development, and knowledge exchange. “Therefore, it is not only about Sister City status, but also Sister University, Sister School, or Sister Hospital arrangements that can strengthen community ties between the two cities while enhancing human resource quality,” added Gus Fawait. Professor of International Relations at the University of Jember’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Agus Trihartono, commended Gus Fawait’s initiative. He noted that cities currently play an increasingly significant role in building cross-border cooperation. “I believe the relationship between Indonesia and China will become one of the most important in Asia during the 21st century,” said Agus. Agus described this collaboration as an investment in trust, the results of which will be visible in the future, even after Regent Fawait’s administration ends. “Well-maintained relationships often only reveal their true value five, ten, or even twenty years down the line,” he added. Separately, Irfan Kharisma Putra, an academic from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Brawijaya University Malang, stated that the Chinese delegation’s visit to Jember sends a significant message to the public. He noted their presence signals that Jember is starting to be viewed as a region with opportunities in economy, modern agriculture, creative industries, tourism, and globally competitive human resources. “This is an acknowledgment that Jember is gaining recognition. It acknowledges that Jember has something compelling to offer the world,” concluded Irfan.