Forest City: Inside Malaysia's Chinese-built 'ghost city' - BBC News

[@simonmaduxx6777]

Wow, that last shot was GOLD. Wow...literally a staircase/path to nowhere. Respect to the crew, well done, bloody well done!

[@salinagrandebuteraz5993]

Thats a staircase to netherrealm f u want to know...the dev thought of ghost to come and occupy the city since humans don't want to live there

[@natep6729]

It's actually a popular instagram spot. Locals call it the stairway to heaven

[@simonmaduxx6777]

@@natep6729 We really really know stairway to heaven is a version of the Tower of Babel. Nothing good comes from it 😂 The Lord don't want us up there

[@MataDewa-g7w]

Unfortunately it become a truly forest and not a city.

[@Myviewonly740]

It is interesting how BBC can twist things to sensationalise a story line. The staircase is quite popular for locals to take a shot from below to look as if it is leading to heaven and BBC turned the camera to show it as a stair to nowhere. Walking into a dark space in the building and taking a shot of the rain on purpose and even tampering the hue at some point just to sensationalise the story line is just so BBC. No wonder a British Vlogger is so scarcastics on BBC.😂

[@oenrob98000]

This project benefited no one locally but a certain (royal) family who sold swathes of land to the said Chinese developer at the expense of the local fishermen's livelihood and countless others who depended on the sea for sustenance. A tragedy really.

[@sebastianniqvist3144]

Was it Sultan of Johor? Or which one are u referring to?

[@yaucharles91]

It's not a tragedy! You sounds like it is in Gaza! Malaysia is not a fishing village as you see! It is a waste of resources but it do benefit the builder, the sales team, material provider. The money is wasted mostly by Chinese investor.

[@ivanong1694]

It didn't benefit the locals at all, it was built FOR the mainland Chinese people. It costs us millions of ringgit (myr). To put that into persepctive, let's say 1 unit is RM 1,000,000, and a 30 year loan is taken out with a 10% down payment, along with a 4% interest. That'll set the buyer back RM 6,111 per month, it's insanely high. Our minimum wage is only RM 1,500. Long story short, it was never meant for the locals, nor will it ever be. It is too ambitious considering what our buying power is. And also the sultan of johor is uhhh, controversial to say the least. Go look it up yourself.

[@oenrob98000]

@@ivanong1694 Amen...ain't that the truth

[@l_ifeefi_l1998]

It benefits the developer, banks, lawyers, agent etc who got a share in building this city

[@Apelles42069]

Sold as an "eco-friendly development" they destroyed massive amounts of sensitive and vulnerable coastal wetlands and sealife.

[@redwhite_040]

and concrete for nothing.

[@Tigerous]

It’s what happens when you have stuff made from China’s money.

[@thilomanten8701]

"greenwashing" at its best - guess where China learned it from?

[@rooster1012]

Well to be fair with nobody living there you don't have to worry about pollution.

[@azillliasmith2734]

Really? What a tragedy....think this is more common than we realise

[@jeishua]

Amazing reporting, so glad someone did a story on it!

[@day5833]

i am malaysian and i have a cousin who lived there once and got out after a week of staying . she's said it's very free and peaceful, but it ain't though in the inside, she lives practically on the middle level, they were barely residents there. whenever she uses the elevator, there will some noise that consider disturbing, sometime later she heard they are weird noises from the emergency stair🥲 i want to go there but not so bad

[@Heritech-nw4mf]

That happened because she believes

[@indian_toilet]

Superstition

[@Fjzins]

If a house is left unoccupied for long time then it will attract negative spirits

[@parikalanyantra69]

Damn 🍑

[@zen9581]

Whats a spirit...show me a proof​@@Fjzins

[@HaxxBlaster]

We need an 1 hour documentary on this, not like 3 mins

[@allofmykek3884]

Fax.

[@BackRoadBandit87]

@@allofmykek3884 📠

[@Joel-km5mb]

Every single so-called ghost city reported in China a decade ago, has now filled up. It just takes time to fill a new city yet another a repeat of bad disinformation journalism .

[@paladro]

you mean on the failed belt and road projects or just ghost cities china has built? i've seen docs about the ghost cities in china, so they out there, not sure about the rest of the investments abroad, but if current economic news means anything, beijing looking kinda broke.

[@thelogician1934]

There was a regime change in Malaysia which caused the project to fail. No China's fault. Anyway it was done by City Gardens, a private company.

[@_ArsNova]

Always amazed by the absurdity of price valuations so high that no one can afford to live there. You think they'd lower prices to meet demand, but it seems developers would rather make no money at all than what the actual fluid market will pay for it.

[@timothy4538]

Property prices artificially inflated with hopes of luring Singaporean dollars. No real need for this place in the first place.

[@karebu2]

Fools will be parted with their money

[@azmanrahim9226]

Perhaps you are losing a good opportunity

[@vincentc9910]

I will buy one if the price dropped to US $10.000 per unit 😊

[@MemekingJag]

chinese economy is built on the property bubble. it's more important to them to inflate prices to keep growth high than to actually make money by letting people buy and live in them. the chinese communist party read the poem ozymandius and took it as an economic instruction guide, the moment things look stagnant they'll have massive internal unrest on their hands.

[@kumomeme7852]

a project aimed for chinese citizen instead of Malaysian citizen itself so no suprise 😂

[@oooshafiqooo]

plans didnt go as planned, especially when Malays hold a significant share

[@jonreybaring767]

Malaydesh

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@jonreybaring767 cheap workers 🤑

[@yasoya7642]

​@@jonreybaring767indon babu

[@hjhussinmdsalleh5507]

Besar kemungkinan jika tiada perubahan sikap, ini bukanlah akan menjadi projek yg terakhir yg akan berada khasnya diJohor malah diseluruh negara.

[@bugtecpestcontrol7634]

I was tgere when it was almost completed right before covid. It is a good concept, but it impacted the locals and is in affordable for locals so it got bad press. As an Australian i would have bought one if it was good. Its a great part of the world. I think it will succeed purely because it is in an absolute great location...close to Singapore and Indonesia (Batam). Anyone doing business in that region would like it.

[@gerardboseley1315]

As an Aussie I live here when not being a dumb fuck farm hand in Australia suits me perfectly.

[@Vivinovianafebriani]

As indonesian If I worked in Singapore I would choose this place Because it looks luxurious but cheap 😅

[@bugtecpestcontrol7634]

@@Vivinovianafebriani my wife is Indonesian and we like Batam because it's so close to Johor and Singapore. The problem with Batam is the ferry is expensive to go each day across to Singapore or Malaysia Maybe they will make a bridge one day 😃

[@Vivinovianafebriani]

@@bugtecpestcontrol7634 i lived in batam btw hahah its true after pandemic ferry Ticket prices increase 300% its because Taxes go up. Nice to hear that your wife its indonesian.

[@ifuknjk]

wat is rental n selling price ???

[@ZombieCycles]

all the plants looks like well maintained, corridors also clean.

[@SonyJimable]

Bingo! That is the give away that the story is a bit fake. The story was exaggerated as they did not film in the main hub areas where construction has been completed. They only filmed the areas still being built... The pools are filled with water and are clean, the streets and paths all clean, the gardens maintained, the lights all work. It's not a ghost town at all, just a massive "city" sized project about halfway through completion.

[@panzlithium]

Wow, that last shot is pure art. Raise this man and his crew

[@618B]

If I'm not mistaken there was a documentary about fishermen living in the area that were worried that they would lose their land and fishing space because of this.

[@TheCameraNever]

yes

[@WoBuXihuan]

Malaysia gets prank

[@erictheviking]

Link?

[@syahmis2338]

yeah, years ago, when they started the project. We used to fish near Pulau Merambong, which is between Malaysia and Singapore. Since this project started, some people have complained about the fishing issues, but I'm not sure if there were also problems with the land etc. Are there any statistics that show that the fish population in this area are reduced mate? Link? Tak pasti jgn kongsi

[@MagusMik]

And this is why we’re “running out” of resources these countries are allowing corporations to just build whatever with nothing to show

[@edisonwong320]

Like the US 😂

[@shavoshaco2402]

You could probably house a the whole us homeless population in those buildings, really goes to show you how artificial hosuong costs are

[@brybryguy6314]

Because nations like Malaysia fell to the great Chinese scam. Promise development, show and act like your doing something, in reality it's not so much China paying the bill but that nation they are "developing" is really paying the bill. Lastly suck the nation dry of its resources and leave it in crippling dept.

[@MagusMik]

@@edisonwong320 exactly like the US 😂

[@oooshafiqooo]

uhh when we are "running out" of resources? we have at least 100 years before some big resources depleted

[@RasadeMondel]

I have gone their last month.that city is very beautiful.

[@US_made_911_terror_and_Covid19]

A simple English sentence and you can't get that even right.

[@Ehh_Chot]

😂😂​@@US_made_911_terror_and_Covid19

[@SonyJimable]

@@US_made_911_terror_and_Covid19 Your grammar is appalling as is your manners! You can't even get that right... daffy duckwitt.

[@NeungView]

No you haven't. Chinese bot.

[@PetrusMering]

As Johor resident, I hope any developer company takes and proceeds with this project.

[@skillworldwide]

who wants to take over the rest of the issue with liabilities attached. who happens now in China, the took over by new developers are arranged by developer without lability consent by the house owner and continues to pay the loan installment to the bank.

[@chlorophyll6154]

Tkde duit bang, gaji 2 k pon belum tntu cukup

[@CloudKXII]

200 Billion USD tu bro... mana ade bank yang sanggup bagi...

[@ryukendo85]

orang ramai boleh lawat ke ?

[@SiPakRubah]

Dengo citer Sultan sendiri nk sambungkan pembangunan kat kawasan tu, tambah lg dgn projek HSR yg katanya nk buat dia lalu kat situ, entahlah

[@ES92-]

That last part with him walking up the stairs saying 'it's going nowhere' . That was Cooold.

[@degenerate8228]

He's lucky that stairs didn't crumble leading to his swift demise.

[@ES92-]

@@degenerate8228 That's facts ! After all it's made in china. That could have collapsed quick.

[@RRrico0625]

This gonna be a real forest garden.

[@hansantonio110]

literally ?

[@MarkHall-cf6ji]

lol yeah

[@WoBuXihuan]

Malaysia gets prank

[@gihanhirantha131]

😂😂

[@kevink3688]

That ending was * chef's kiss * 🤣

[@Fathima_rizana]

BBC : ghost city People : future city

[@miha3847]

Same here in Cambodia, Chinese business people came to build the same thing at the seaside area , tons of tall buildings are unfinished and left behind , it’s like ghost town ;(…..

[@TruthTeller8888]

Wherever Chinese go they destroy..

[@alexgamble4718]

And don't forget the casinos, Cambodia has it the worst. A Chinese client state unfortunately.

[@subasthapa4839]

😒

[@DavidSmith-qp7yk]

where in Cambodia?

[@alexgamble4718]

Sihanoukville

[@marinekong235]

this is old news - it became the ghost town some 5+ years back as the chinese authority limited how much money its citizens could send abroad for payments, and the previous local govt back-pedalled on the "promise" of granting long term stay visa of the government before it. Same story can be found in the Middle East and even Australia.

[@TheCameraNever]

Country Garden dumped two of it's Australian assets recently in a firesale

[@zam023]

Yeah, and a lot of comments are made by people who have no clue what the real situation is. The property is not meant for locals or Singaporeans, nobody else can buy the property accept Chinese from China. That is why the back-pedaling on the "visa" promise happened. We are letting China sell Malaysian property to their own people only.

[@cuthomas4664]

Same situation here in Vietnam. Those greedy real estate moguls always trying to manipulate people: the population will go up but the real estates couldn't be born, to justify the out-of-this-world sticker price. It is a shame that a developing country like Vietnam now has arround $200 billions in real estate depth. Crazy!!!

[@banksiasong]

Ah Capitalism, what the war was mostly about, as well as Imperialism.

[@akane8615]

I heard abt what happened in Vietnam property market. I feel sorry for you, hope such thing didn't happen in Malaysia.

[@CLulk]

Forget real estate. People need to realize that the modern state of Vietnam was founded on the blood of murdered landlords. Ho Chi Minh mass-murderer many, many thousands of them in the 1950s. Even Ken Burns showed this of Ho!

[@Qwerty-db1js]

Same thing seems to be going on in my own town as well.

[@MSDGroup-ez6zk]

well, that has happened to the USA too. So many buildings are empty due to property investment while many poor don't have a place to live in. The USA allies always point out how bad of its competitor's decision is while they close their eyes on their system failure, just like all American Vietnam war movies.

[@joshklaver47]

The timing of that thunder was priceless... 😂 🌩

[@SonyJimable]

I love Malaysia it's a great place to be. I think the BBC has unfortunately been quite a bit misleading in the way they filmed Forest City and are exaggerating what they found to try and make it newsworthy. People who come to have a look will quickly find the news that it is a "Ghost City" is nowhere near true. The main hub areas have carparks with about 2/3 full so clearly people are there... It even has a fully operating Water Park and there are plenty of people there 7 days a week and the nearby shops are open and have people. The place is huge and about half built so obviously in those areas still being built things are much slower and none of the shops have been fitted out yet... I think the BBC used this area for the story which is a bit cheaky... As for the many apartment blocks the average residential occupancy is only about 4 out of 12 which makes it very quiet but not really a "Ghost Town". In the Hub areas the Apartment occupancy is more around 9 out of 12 because those apartments are rented out to tourists and the average cost is about USD $60 which is very attractive for the Region. Something the BBC should have noted to be honest with their audience is the fact that everything is impeccably maintained including parks, gardens, paths, street etc... The pools are full of water and impeccably clean and maintained too.

[@NARUTOTKNTCUBE_31]

Wow we actually impresses that this problems were brought out until the BBC. I as a Malaysian has went to Forest City 2 times, actually not that impressive, since we only limited to visit the main center of it, majority of them came for the waterpark outside the central, where you can see Singapore from far away. And yeah this placed has been abandoned and not developing at all, until now. Btw the waterpark is really nice, but we did like to explore more lol.

[@haoyuan92]

"50000 people used to live in this city. Now it's a ghost town. I have never seen anything like it."

[@jebatlekir5418]

Normal for new projects lor. As a resident here what can i say that I enjoyed stay here. Day by day after lockdown there is more people come in here. 😄

[@Blaze6432]

​@jebatlekir5418 it's normal for new projects to drop from 50k to almost 0? What kind of idiot logic is that?

[@predatorhelios8633]

Call of duty 4

[@methik38]

Malaysia, truly Asia.

[@hellodiamond]

Look at Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Laos, all of which depend on China. Malaysia could also be included in these countries if it does not stop now.

[@s.b.ghazalli2658]

I used to work with HSBC Malaysia. My colleague was a branch manager in the nearby Nusa Bestari and she said they used to ferry busloads of potential Chinese investors to the place.

[@100oracle]

That sounds blissful. No people, lots of plants, and undoubtedly lots of cool wildlife to observe.

[@mindxcircus]

I thought the same too 🤣 Like a respite from crowded, noisy city life. But it can feel creepy I guess at some point in the night

[@Apelles42069]

Maybe instead they could've... I dunno... kept an actual forest?

[@no-barknoonan1335]

It's actually quite eerie, it's more like being in a horror movie. You should try it if you can.

[@jean-pierre5221]

I was thinking the same. It reminded me of walking on the road during covid lockdown. It was so peaceful.

[@jomotv2320]

@@Apelles42069 can't live in an actual forest

[@kyleanuar9090]

The state is known to be more traditionalist and pro royalty but their Sultan sold them out just like his great grandfather selling off Singapore to the British for money yet the folks there still support the Sultan. That city is really for the Chinese moving in droves to Malaysia.

[@perrycheong1058]

Singapore was expelled by the Malaysian government a while after independence.

[@badnotgood]

Those people are obsessed. They're all blind. They thought the project will benefit them. 😅

[@Jim_Colbert]

Johor sultan is arrogant idiot prick...

[@Jim_Colbert]

Eh remember if you criticize him..police will lock you up...😅😅😅

[@rebelwind6474]

​@@perrycheong1058tbf, Singapore was sold out to Stamford Raffles in the 1824 by the late Johor sultan, making them an independent state under British authority. They had a degree of autonomy on their own as a state before the Malaysia government decided to expel them in 1965

[@kennyongyc]

the houses were open for sale to foreigners targeting singaporean and china but prime minister was against the sultan. changed the law banning foreigners owning properties.

[@RedHanded1969]

Theres a reason we got rid of all hereditary rulers, some countries are dumb enough to keep them for tradition.. 😅

[@kairulazwan112]

Our prime minister is LGBT. Ex convict. Famous all over the world

[@chanmunfei7986]

That's not true, the Prime Minister at the time raised the requirements for MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) where made it harder for foreigners to buy property. Secondly COVID hit and caused border closures where it affected Forest City badly.

[@torrhthc4103]

Prime minister mud? The one that park his boats illegally at singapore waters and say malaysia sell water to singapore at too cheap a price and singapore is malay land? 😂

[@minkkulborahae]

@@torrhthc4103 the reason why human should learn history. "singapore is malay land?" is that a dumb question? Yes. A dumb question by a dumbass

[@nicholashoi3155]

fun fact, some part of the "land" in forest city is sinking into the sea, because the whole island is an infilled.

[@nageshlali]

The cost of foundation must have ruined the rest of the project and developer

[@MizanQistina]

1000 years later archeologists says that this is the center of human civilization, the city is bustling with human of all backgrounds, was a wonderful sight at it's prime...

[@Dark_CovidianaDance]

😹🕵yep...

[@Joel-km5mb]

They also called Shanghai Pudong as a ghost city only 8 years ago. It's now all filled up. And this Malaysian city is similarly very Close to a mega population area so it will fill up In a decade. Not the first few years.

[@joshychong]

@@Joel-km5mbShanghai alone has 18 million people. Malaysia as a whole only has 30?

[@miguellines5907]

​@@joshychong Ordos was former ghost city and then Xiong'an will be the next ghost city according to BBC and CNN. while BBC and CNN never pay attention to Southwest of England or central of US because it doesn't fit their narrative and agenda. 🤣🤣

[@LansKopek]

lol 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@dufreversi42]

So safe and stable that nobody is aware it's there.😂😂

[@Henry-ve3ye]

i love how they keep saying this is a ghost city and driving housing going lower and lower. Keep it up!!

[@justaguy994]

sometimes i forgot there are people who love to live like these and how lucky i am

[@humble.genius]

Similar case happened in Indonesia, in here they called it "Meikarta" City project.

[@Boboskoll]

Preett 💨

[@faraqamila9205]

I am a Johorean and lived in Johor for 30 years now and it was so frustrating and dissapointed when I knew about this project since Im totally disagree with it... even our former PM Tun Mahathir disagree with this project and i second his opinion on that... but there is nothing we could do... as a Johorean i think why don't they develop ideas on how to improve the life of Johoreans as a whole instead of having this kind of project that didnt even have any benefits towards us at all except for foreigners...

[@gerardboseley1315]

900RM a month you johoreon cry about driving for 25 minutes to get here.

[@arafat464]

This seems like a great thing for Malaysia, once Country Gardens goes 100% bankrupt, they get a free $100bn city.

[@ctnzrh92]

Wait, that is actually correct but then again, who will take over?

[@oocc7211]

@@ctnzrh92China government maybe like everything in belts and roads.

[@TheCameraNever]

@@ctnzrh92 Forest City is 50% owned by a Malaysian company, they will probably take it at a heavily discounted price. The fact is they don't have to build anything else. All the infrastructure is there. They can just concentrate on selling and letting the properties that are already finished and they would make a pretty penny. The $100 billion price tag for the project is misleading because that was over 20 odd years of construction and would have covered three or four man made islands. What is already there cost nothing like that. Marketed properly and with keener prices so that the locals can get in on the game it could be a lovely place to live.

[@ctnzrh92]

@@TheCameraNever ohho..I see, thanks for info.

[@CalvinK-the_old_fogey]

@@TheCameraNever40% (rumoured to be Johor royals). 60% owned by parent Country Gardens. By the usual way business is done in Malaysia, likely the 40% is either a gift or heavily discounted as a … ahem … goodwill gesture towards the Sultan 😂.

[@fohhee]

This is what happen when house is not for people to live, but as "investment".

[@roachtoasties]

If you build it, they won't come. How can something be eco-friendly, when you build something for one million people and nobody moves in?

[@lavolper1608]

And Indonesia following its footsteps with new capital

[@Notyourplainjane]

We literally just went there last week to experience it. We felt like a mix of tales from the creep, Alice in wonderland , Gotham city and the Truman show combined. Felt it was built for a purpose to isolate, controlled and maybe a deeper reasoning. Theres a wisdom behind to why God didn’t blessed this project.

[@miguelozorio3658]

When I used to work in London near Old Street station some twenty years ago, nearby where my offices located all the new developments shiny multi-storey buildings no lights were on when I finished my work walking out the office building in the evening on the way to the Liverpool Street station took a long train journey back to where I lived. The entire area all buildings kept dark just like Ghost city but from what I learned all apartments were already sold out to Middle East buyers who bought them for investment and all are empty because the owners never live inside!! I don’t think London the capital of UK 🇬🇧 anywhere better than other places in the world lol, what ashamed UK property market!!😂😢

[@ync2467]

I had 2 rounds of golf in forest city 2 weeks ago, the course are good n nicely maintained, they are indeed among the best golf course in the region

[@humanshieldz]

With the developer bankrupt i wonder who is funding all the amenities besides the govt and it can't go on forever if it's a ghost city.

[@jebatlekir5418]

​@@humanshieldzdont worry la. Country garden malaysia still in good in financial.

[@kagenlim5271]

​@@humanshieldzforest city golf course is like the only part of the whole thing thats actually succeeding lmao

[@humanshieldz]

@@kagenlim5271 Ahh haha. Maybe cos having less people there to fight for the golf course is good for avid golfers

[@sleepyearth]

Yes and the golf club is the most popular area in forest city.

[@salehsafie2135]

I live here. Honestly what review was shoot is not true and it just show the empty part of developing city. It still in development and what you expect, New york not built in one day. Nowdays lot of people come visit /picnic nearby waterpark and seaside

[@salehsafie2135]

Not mention their security also good

[@potatomatop9326]

Bro, this city is heaven to us introverts!

[@goodguyaus]

I'm an introvert. This would be like paradise...

[@kathi2393]

I'm a resident here. It is indeed very peaceful.

[@kathi2393]

I'm a resident here. It is indeed very peaceful.

[@oooshafiqooo]

sure!

[@Cik_Siput.Luar_Biasa]

Wednesday would love this place 🥰💅🏻

[@peroperic1044]

@@Cik_Siput.Luar_Biasa WEDNESDAY?

[@gavinlew8273]

Right after Covid 19, Forest City project was still being sold in Singapore. Fortunately, no-one fell for the bait! IT's a bit of a shame as the project really looked good from the 3D illustrations!

[@kelvin.008]

Singapore's Presidential hopeful has 1 there!😂

[@kornhead8]

20% SG bought it esp 1 well known Singaporean TKL 🥸

[@torrhthc4103]

Who is tkl? Nvr heard of. Famous guy in politics or some mnc head honcho?

[@oooshafiqooo]

what? its a bait!? isnt its free real estate

[@CalvinK-the_old_fogey]

@@kelvin.008not true. Tan Kin Lian bought The Quayside which is located just next to Causeway. Forest City is located near 2nd Link.

[@SK-lt1so]

The problem is if you try to live there and work in Singapore, it takes forever to cross the causeway/border. Until they address that...

[@TheCameraNever]

100%

[@kama-qu8hd]

Please let the "ghost city" stigma stay that way. Actually there are luxury condos that quite affordable for locals here. Rentals cost are really affordable with amazing view, something quite unheard in big city like JB. Fully furnished condos start at only 900 MYR per month, where the price might go up to 1500 in JB which is only 20 km away. If people start moving in, the price might go up.😢

[@killforkylie]

Living in a city that does not have people everywhere sounds pretty cool to me.

[@zacbrad6436]

I'm currently live here its very good environment, its quiet and more privacy if u wanna escape from the busy and noisy Town this is the place, I think its getting better than before more shops have been opened and residents also increase.

[@danilazuli]

no there is not country garden bots. lol

[@bugtecpestcontrol7634]

Yeah, fantastic location. The story is just from the BBC which always manufacturing fake and silly stories focusing on other countries because of trying to divert attention from their own failures. Anyone who knows the area , will know that it is right in the special economic zone of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Beautiful weather, beautiful islands, great seafood etc. central transportation to anywhere in Asia and close to Australia.

[@daneamos2504]

And how much does a unit cost you

[@SyahCHL88]

That why is called ghosts town. 😂

[@TestDonCqmDJorr-qKDdKENPg]

😮😂:18 ❤

[@democracyoverdictatorship7483]

Belt & Road Initiative = Debt Trap Diplomacy

[@CalvinK-the_old_fogey]

You are mistaken because the only party trapped is Country Garden, a Chinese property developer. Malaysia got a free piece of reclaimed land and built up infrastructure. A very good deal for Malaysia (specifically Johor state) 😂

[@12villages]

1% of a million is still 10,000 which is a lot of people in a small space.

[@oooshafiqooo]

yes

[@akeshshi9137]

It's claimed by country garden to be that many.

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@akeshshi9137 well in reality there are 6000 people

[@bayestraat]

As far as anyone is concerned, the Belt Road Initiative is not only intended to interconnect cities with China, but also provide bilateral financing through collateralising sovereign economies. Yes you heard that right, "Financing". It's anyone's guess why the local contractors and developers are still hanging on to a "profitable" business model when they are not driving demand by attracting commerce with high turnover propensity into the area. It's a hit and run project as with most other current developments in Malaysia. Meanwhile there's an overcrowding problem in suburban Kuala Lumpur, just about 350km away where lack of balance between commercial and residential zones are causing unnecessary traffic movements, abandoned real estate and pretentious mispricing. Believe me, there are more people than you think all around Malaysia with at least 7 figures at their disposal not knowing where else to put that capital besides foreign investments. They just just need a reason brought to the table as to why they should establish anything in said "Forest City"

[@ivanong1694]

You are wildly wrong about the amount of disposables income we have. You're not a local, I AM, and i bet my money i have more understanding of Malaysia's situation than you. We have a categorization of household income, not personal income, but HOUSEHOLD INCOME. There is B40(Below 40 percentile), M40(Middle 40), and T20(Top 20). There's no criteria like how much u have to earn to be T20 since its percentile, that is roughly estimated to be 11-20k MYR. The properties there are insanely expensive, around 3 million if im not mistaken, no one can afford it, do some research before you talk.

[@ivanong1694]

The overcrowding problem in KL is because a lot of people from other states are moving to KL because of job opportunities, not because they wanted to live there, most of them would prefer to live in their hometown granted they have the same amount of income they'll get from KL. So ignorant.

[@bayestraat]

​@@ivanong1694 Lol I am a local Malaysian bro. Anyway, you just need to look beyond how connections one mostly gains from networking events and seminars. The more people you meet who are broke, the less the rich has shared with them. Pretty straightforward right?

[@jyahya5369]

With high speed rails the China can build to connect to KL staying here would make sense especiallyif you want to get away from a crowded KL..too bad, local corruption made the project unfeasible.

[@robertb4000]

Forest City is located at the south west of Johor. There are few villages before you cross the bridge of forest city and it is far away from the capital city "Johor Bahru". Additionally, before you cross the bridge to enter forest city, you'll see many mangrove trees, which are great natural things to exist there. The closest place to near forest city island is a harbor and bridge that connected Malaysia and Singapore

[@dayani9099]

Death????? Empty?????? Wait...what....im living there.....

[@Americium-120]

The Belt and Road Initiative is more like the Debt and Rope Initiative to these countries.

[@andrewchew29]

Less critical thinking n living in a bottle.

[@akeshshi9137]

@@andrewchew29 CCP's not doing very well hence the reduced photoshoot of members from year to year Italy: Leaving BRI Argentiana: New PM leaving BRI and prefers USD as main currency Malaysia: Cancelled $22 billion worth of BRI projects in 2018 due to concerns about debt and environmental impact. Myanmar: Cancelled the $900 million Kyaukpyu port project in 2021 due to political instability and public opposition. Philippines: Cancelled a $3 billion railway project in 2020 due to concerns over cost and transparency. Indonesia: Renegotiated several BRI projects and sought to reduce its dependence on Chinese funding. Thailand: Delayed a high-speed rail project due to financing concerns. Sri Lanka: Leased the Hambantota port to China for 99 years after being unable to repay loans. This raised concerns about "debt-trap diplomacy." Pakistan: Renegotiated the terms of several BRI projects to reduce debt burden. Nepal: Expressed concerns about the transparency and environmental impact of BRI projects. Kazakhstan: Cancelled a $5 billion gas pipeline project due to concerns about cost and environmental impact. Kyrgyzstan: Cancelled a $300 million railway project due to concerns about debt. Kenya: Renegotiated the terms of a $3.2 billion railway project to reduce debt burden. Uganda: Cancelled a $4 billion railway project due to concerns about cost and environmental impact. Sierra Leone: Cancelled a $200 million airport project due to concerns about debt. Ecuador: Cancelled a $1 billion hydroelectric project due to concerns about environmental impact. Costa Rica: Cancelled a $1 billion port project due to concerns about cost and transparency. Montenegro: Cancelled a $1 billion highway project due to concerns about debt and environmental impact. Czech Republic: Signed a memorandum of understanding with China to participate in the BRI, but has not yet implemented any major projects.

[@balloonbuster]

Begging easier no capital needed

[@11fumiko]

Belt and Road Initiative of China is a Debt Trap.

[@kimmytan3384]

Sad isn't it when it's opinion based and totally void of facts!

[@PEWithMrVince]

The project suffered after COVID-19 for sure. Businesses are slowly coming back. Is the place quiet? Yes, like most developments in Johor, not just this one. They have been building everywhere around JB leaving places hardly occupied. In the meantime, rent here is now very cheap as opposed to other parts of the city. You should ask other residents who are happy to live here. Sure, it's hard to own a property here but I've seen many locals coming to rent a condo because of the low price, the facilities and the possibility to live without having too many neighbours 😅. More will come. It's not a busy district but it's absolutely not a ghost town anymore.

[@honeykamal9743]

how much is the monthly rent there?

[@DangKahla]

Rent starts from rm600

[@ryukendo85]

boleh lawat secara percuma ke kat sini ?

[@DangKahla]

@@ryukendo85 boleh je

[@jebatlekir5418]

I'm staying here in the seaview block. Honestly this is a good place to stay. All facilities are well maintained by the developer. Nice port view n singapore straits form my house. Also feel safe staying here when saw many security's control all over the area. Day by day after lockdown more new residents stayed in. Mamak restaurant also just opened last month. On the weekend u can see many locals family's and tourists come here. The manmade beach is one of the attractions here. Nice and cool place to visit.

[@武汉金晓]

this is REAL news.

[@Darkmatter321]

Really? Great to hear it. I'll look into it

[@johnharrison3671]

Fake news! This must be someone from country garden. It’s a ghost town.

[@HK-gc7xz]

@@johnharrison3671the ghost himself 👻

[@sleepyearth]

@@武汉金晓It's cheap like very cheap compared to singapore rental but you do need a vehicle to get around for grocery. The most populated area is the golfing country club in that area. Otherwise it is really a ghost town. i've visited that location and there was only 1 shop for cafe for food/drink. The other only shop is a duty free shop which you can guess is popular with the locals for buying alcohol.

[@HoneyBadger80886]

No Swimming, Crocodiles. Not a welcoming beach.

[@anamshah4421]

Stayed there for 6 months. Best thing about it is that there's no traffic.

[@Supernatural1978-OG]

And people are homeless in the world. These governments are just ridiculous. I can’t believe the world that we live in has just gone to trash. 🚮

[@GlobalPenguin2012]

Forest city should be renamed Gotham city….. dark and gloomy

[@azmanrahim9226]

Perhaps it should be renamed pearl delta city 2, Malaysia..

[@MSDGroup-ez6zk]

well, that has happened to the USA too. So many buildings are empty due to property investment while many poor don't have a place to live in. The USA allies always point out how bad of its competitor's decision is while they close their eyes on their system failure, just like all American Vietnam war movies.

[@Iceyfire12]

Still brighter than crime ridden LA - NYC LOL

[@hansantonio110]

so where is the bat guy?🦇

[@perrycheong1058]

That would be a more suitable title/description for Kuala Lumpur, Klang, and Johor Bahru.

[@user-dc9yv4rf1f]

I heard about these projects many years ago but I never thought it will go bad

[@MakJemah-t2o]

Nothing bad... this media channel just being exaggerated!

[@NeungView]

Done by the chinese. What do you expect? Everything they do overseas is run into the ground.

[@chca2211]

Nothing ventured nothing gained. I like the concept and the risk taking of the developers

[@khardu]

so, it can house a million people but is currently housing 10%, which is 100k people. It's not a bad number actually.

[@cropunisher5879]

I want to live there

[@gerardboseley1315]

I do Aussie nothing wrong with the place

[@rajyogini123]

😂😅the last scene of the news was an epic👌 , a halfway thru staircase without a destination 😅hv been here before but wasn't allowed to enter the premise ...Indeed ..it looks like a ghost town

[@InvestBetter.]

When a nation employs capital controls, it is a sign of serious insecurity and domestic economic problems. If things were going well, and your economy was strong, you wouldn't be afraid of people moving their money overseas.

[@MSDGroup-ez6zk]

well, that has happened to the USA too. So many buildings are empty due to property investment while many poor don't have a place to live in. The USA allies always point out how bad of its competitor's decision is while they close their eyes on their system failure, just like all American Vietnam war movies.

[@F41Z4L]

i live here.. there are literally real ghost called 'pontianak' i've seen it.. other than that this place is busy with people renting that work in spore and a nearby port. its much crowded now than before.

[@ferardabbas8426]

At which part of FC park did u exactly witness all this. I live here too

[@reezkhalid]

Just search other’s video about forest city,maybe its low,not packed like jb or singapore but not a ghost town,nowdays a lot people live there,im from jb,malaysia and i find this hillarious.come on..its already 2023..

[@AntyJames]

I don't get why they are framing this like it's difficult to 'escape'. Based on this report, it seems like staying is harder than leaving.

[@katehenry2718]

Sounds like inescapable homeowner loans and people left with no money to live elsewhere.

[@לעזאזלעםגוביידן]

escape means they got refund or somebody else buy their appartment because it's so empty, it feel like a nightmare

[@azmanrahim9226]

If I had millions of ringgit/US Dollars and could afford Singapore, I might get a condo at forest city....

[@ynnos5555]

It’s actually both. No functioning malls, shops, restaurant meant you have to travel for hours to run your errands or work. It’s also hard to leave since most unit owners invested their life savings for their deposits and are under contract to pay their monthly dues. They can’t afford to move out or their forfeit everything unless there’s someone willing to takeover their contracts. The non-swimmable beachfront also set it to flop.

[@TheCameraNever]

@@azmanrahim9226 Penang!

[@continentpuller]

My dad has a unit here. Actually its very nice, weather is great, its like a trip to nature but modern landscape. So much potential. Hopefully people see the potential. Facilities are well maintained and its actually designed to be a thriving communities with walking distance. Just needs people to stay and live there.

[@Moltenbramley]

For how much of the year is your Dads unit empty? I think that’s a big part of the problem

[@LOLnesssss]

If the high speed rail does go through Forest City as the Johor Sultan is asking for currently. Your dad will have made a fantastic investment there.

[@bayousam1432]

I've visited the place a few times. At the moment, I think it is a perfect place for anybody practising to be a recluse.

[@sleepyearth]

@@LOLnesssss I doubt it will run there though. It's too expensive to run thru forest city for just that handful of people.

[@crystal2484]

Stop dreaming. I have 1 unit just outside forest city, which I consider myself extremely lucky coz it isn't forest city. After 10 years, the occupation is only about 30-40% and not sure how many are AirBnB coz it is near to Hard Rock Cafe. The price has dropped more than half and the currency has gone down by another 40%. Maybe when u inherit the property, u could sell it (with luck) and don't feel the pinch since it is not out of your pocket, that's my intention for that investment. If my children are lucky, they could find a buyer....The money lost could literally get me a much bigger rented place anywhere in Johor for the rest of my life.

[@DiscothecaImperialis]

Not just cambodge. even 'near First World country' that has Real Estate projects operated by Chinese corporates eventually created a ghost city like this. Thankfully a rigid foreign investment law used in Thailand prevented the same phenomenon. it didn't prevent similiar abandoned incomplete skyscrapers though, except that this phenomenon was an effect of 1997 Financial Crisis originated here and came from domestic real estate speculators and unethical loan approvals based on underhand measures or the use of insiders or connections/priviledges with disregard to so many 'International Standards' of that time. Everyone can learn from that. I don't know if 'Gray Chinese' crime syndicates also operated from there. their preferred hideout was once (or maybe still) in either Poipet or Sihanoukville. Now they've relocated to (or already been at) Shan States, inside Kokang (果敢) domain.

[@Daniel_0778]

Chinese make it in malaysia and in johor because it near with Singapore.. That place been made for chinese form the mainland to buy property there… This place better been close then tons of chinese suddenly migrated there… this an old issue don’t know why BBC just update this shit now🥱🥱

[@lalitalee7901]

The sign on the beach (Danger- Crocodiles -No swimming!) would of put me off purchasing a property in Forest City :)

[@FigureUnboxing]

I bet that Indonesia's new capital city project IKN will end up like this also. But at the moment, the current president's supporters are BLIND to this despite the mounting debts. Alas! This will be the fate of that new city later....

[@blackeagle9192]

Indonesia builds IKN, based on strong national laws. IKN built by investors, not using government money

[@ivanjefferson6344]

The quiet and nature aspect of it kinda cool tho, should turn some of it into hotel or vacation house, at least that would kick start some industry in the area

[@ynnos5555]

The non-swimmable crocodile infested beachfront pretty much killed that idea.

[@DefenseOnTitan]

​@@ynnos5555 Look at Florida. Maybe there's still hope.

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@ynnos5555 uhh there isnt any crocs in Johore strait?

[@shahmi5727]

It would be awesome to explore alone in this abandoned city.. kinda remind me of will smith in 'I am legend' movie

[@TheCameraNever]

You would be disappointed. It's not abandoned. About 10,000 people live there and at weekends many local people go there for the beach, swimming pool and to eat at the restaurants.

[@kathi2393]

I'm a resident here. You are welcome to explore this place. Its gonna give mixed feelings.

[@lifeguidance3579]

reminds me of highland towers full movie 🙀

[@IwanSetiawan-ol5jg]

Beautiful place near sea

[@TheCameraNever]

lol, that's not a sea like you know it. It's grubby and the man made beaches are really just coarse building sand, so no fun to play on.

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@TheCameraNever Forest city is literally on the Coastline. ofc its on the sea! or more specifically you mean the Johore Strait. about sand how about we both come there and check it out for ourselves?

[@ferardabbas8426]

​@@TheCameraNever..Your'e wrong. Absolutely wrong.

[@kanlurangdagatngpilipinas]

I heard china will also build a More than $100billion port to compete with singapore, if those project dont go as plan then malaysia will be deeply trap in debt.

[@sebastianstyles9750]

The Chinese would rather buy properties in Australia and leave them vacant while the residents who do live here are left in a housing crisis and nowhere to live with no properties available.

[@EquityfilerInformistMedia]

are we all gonna ignore how stylish that last walking shot was

[@kuchenkoren4051]

It's funny that some towers are labelled as sold out, but no one is living there. May be they just bought the apartment units only to be rented, but nobody rented them. Or maybe it's just a scam 😅

[@BondJFK]

Nope it's actually bought by expacts working abroad they bought it for either as investment or retirement plan when they come back

[@IamHandsome4u]

U know how investment works?🤦🏻‍♂️

[@akane8615]

they're mostly sold, i think 80-90 percent but the buyers are not living there for they're foreigners or chinese national that are keeping it as vacation homes.

[@IamHandsome4u]

@@akane8615 yeah, but most people understand this, even if it is not sold now, it will be sold later, it will take time, big projects take time to bear its fruit, thats the mistake most people make by listening to western propaganda, they make claims way too early, this project was started in 2016 only, these anti-china propaganda did the same thing in kangbashi project and now they are 70% filled, same for that fake paris in china, it is also filled now. People fall for western propagnda way too easily. Bcs white people are always correct.🤦🏻‍♂️

[@shutengloke5907]

Quite normal for properties in Asia to be sold out and yet it is empty. Happened everywhere across Asia

[@AbigailPatiño-e5m]

God bless Malaysia

[@andysja]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpLLXmaDq5pgZ5Ysi=arclZBFpSj4T8_C4

[@bruhdashno]

Such a waste of land. People who struggle finding new home to stay deserves to move in. Property sellers who only sit behind waiting for profit to come and do nothing good but leaving this land unfilled. Limiting anyone who got nowhere to stay and anything to afford new home? Extra land to shelter is a solution to neutralise the concertation of population. I will not forgive materialism.

[@MJ18888]

This place is one hour away from Singapore which has skyrocketing real estate prices. honestly there is huge potential!

[@sockhal4595]

It’s not the last time we will hear from this forest city. I’m pretty sure the owners didn’t check if the walls are really made of good quality concrete. They probably never heard of the chinese tofu dreg buildings. Anyway this forest may crumble by itself in the next decades.

[@dasgerbil5189]

Chinese tofu dreg, mixed with USA-backed Singapore bakchoy. You thing it is PR China only as developer? Haiya, Chinese from Singapore also come to built that ghost town.

[@IamHandsome4u]

I hv heard of american tofu dreg houses though.

[@notawidow6560]

Americans can't even keep a skyscraper in San Francisco straight or build a railroad

[@Adrian-np8vl]

Better to invest in the Capital Kuala Lumpur or Penang for better returns.

[@TheCameraNever]

The UK

[@rehekmiles6173]

exactly.. if forest city in klang vallet or in KL... it will be spectacular.... full house sold out.. with that design..

[@nurmrym]

I'm johorean and I'm I glad this project fail. If success can you imagine how many people from China can own properties here when the local struggle. ouhhh I really glad it fail. Johor used to be beautiful. You can hangout at the beach. Its boring now. I dont know where to recommend if people come here. Its not fun anymore.

[@wnose]

Damn shame. Plop a development like that near a big city like London, NYC or Toronto and it'd do so much to relieve supply problems.

[@pikiranrantas1693]

Investor mungkin berfikir ulang jika proyek tetap dilanjutkan, kedepan pasti akan merugi, hal ini disebabkan oleh beberapa kemungkinan seperti : 1. Sedikitnya penduduk malaysia. 2. Daya beli masyarakat malaysia rendah. 3. Alternatifnya jika di jual ke warga asing tentu akan jadi polemik di kalangan masyarakat malaysia. Wallahu A'lam Bishowab...

[@hylimm]

This Forest City project has nothing to do with BRI initiative.

[@_ArsNova]

Yes it does. It's China attempting to spread it's corrupting tendrils through foreign investment.

[@lenkiatleong]

BBC has no credibility.

[@soniq080808]

chinese are experts at building ghost cities 😂

[@drpk6514]

Its just near Singapore I still think this could have a future.

[@darknovember]

i really cant imagine 1 million units, let alone a million people living in one community

[@tomjones6106]

i would buy a house there right now, sounds peaceful

[@kawhiyvesacnaban2224]

Malaysian simply did not support the greediness of China

[@darth.severuss]

"Why didn't you simply reject China's involvement?"