Set amid lush greenery and occupying a height of nearly 7,000 feet, the Changshui international airport in Kunming has been built for the future. Constructed five years ago, the main terminal of this massive structure alone is spread over a jaw-dropping 5 million square feet. Many passengers wanting to access the terminal’s more than five dozen gates prefer to ride golf carts, instead of walking, as part of the pre-boarding ritual.

In tune with its ambitions, the airport is gearing up to handle 43 million passengers by 2020. Kunming, now fast-emerging as southwest China’s rising metropolis, is the capital of Yunnan, a province that shares borders with Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. Unsurprisingly, Chinese planners have developed the airport as the gateway to the South and Southeast Asia. That role is similar to the one ascribed to Urumqi in Xinjiang. But the Urumqi Diwopu airport will have a different geographical footprint. It will serve as China’s spur for an outreach mainly towards Central and West Asia.

The flavour of Southeast Asia is palpable in the terminal of the Changshui airport. Passengers seeking arrival or departure information are likely to encounter names of cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Hanoi, Bandar Seri Begawan, Phu Quoc or Phuket on the giant electronic scroll monitors fixed inside the vast terminal halls. There are daily flights from Kunming to Kolkata, around 2,300 km away by road. Besides, Shandong Airlines now flies regularly to New Delhi from Kunming.

Unlike most standard air hubs across the globe, Kunming airport radiates a unique flavour of Yunnan. Cafés offer Pu’er tea, a dark fermented brew, typical of Yunnan’s famous Six Great Tea Mountains. These elevations are not far from Xishuangbanna — China’s gateway to Laos and Myanmar. Apart from tea, Xishuangbanna is known for its Buddhist temples, including the famous Manfeilong Pagodas. There are rainforests here, and also a sporadic presence of Asian elephants. At the airport, packets of flower pastries filled with a sticky, sweetened rose petal paste — a typical Yunnan delicacy — are a big draw.

Interior connectivity

The airport also links many of Yunnan’s inner cities, which are struggling to integrate in the national mainstream. For instance, it takes less than 45 minutes to arrive at Wenshan — the main city of the Wenshan prefecture, not far from the border with Vietnam.

A maize research centre in the city highlights Wenshan’s attempt to develop high-yield varieties, which would also be in demand in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. The centre has already set up research units in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Apart from collaborating in research and development, the centre has also obtained a licence to farm in Myanmar and Laos.

“This research cooperation between regional countries and China is very important to improve the agricultural technology for the whole region,” says Piriya Khempon, Thailand’s Ambassador to China, who was part of a delegation of diplomats and journalists visiting the area. Asked whether allowing foreign companies land ownership could meet local farmer resistance, he said: “We have a designated zone in Thailand’s eastern economic zone where we can give land on a 90-year lease, provided new technology is developed there. Outside this area, we do not give any land to foreigners.”

Wenshan is also the home of Notoginseng, a herb used for treating cardiovascular disorders. “We are setting up an industrial park to grow this herb on an industrial scale,” says Xian Ren Dong, a local official at Wenshan’s Notoginseng Science and Technology Park.