Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun cast hopes on Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines on controlling the pandemic in Indonesia in an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Thursday, and applauded Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s pledge for further cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine during his recent trip to Indonesia.
The vaccine collaboration between Indonesia and China will make Indonesia the “hub of vaccine manufacturer in the Southeast Asia region,” said ambassador Oratmangun.
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo received the first dose of Sinovac Biotech’s coronavirus vaccine named CoronaVac on Wednesday, becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated. Indonesia started its national immunization campaign on Wednesday.
“Indonesia’s trust and confidence in Sinovac’s vaccine is reflected in Widodo being the first to receive a shot. We share President Widodo’s sentiments,” the ambassador said.
Widodo’s shot came after Wang’s pledge to cooperate with Indonesia on COVID-19 major economic projects, digital development and marine safety, after a meeting with Indonesia’s Coordinator for Cooperation with China Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in North Sumatra on Tuesday.
Pandjaitan expressed gratitude to China for the timely support of providing vaccines, saying Indonesia hopes to continue to work with China on vaccine cooperation, medication research and development and exchanges of medical personnel, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Ambassador Oratmangun expressed his confidence in the Chinese vaccine, noting that Sinovac’s vaccine received a license from Indonesian authorities after scientific and technical evaluation.
Due to the limited capacity in vaccine supply, Indonesia and China will work together to provide the vaccine as a public good and support public health not only domestically but also in the region, Oratmangun told the Global Times.
2020 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Indonesia diplomatic ties, and it “leads to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and China in various frameworks of cooperation, and one of them is vaccine,” Oratmangun stressed.
Sinovac has conducted phase III clinical trials in Indonesia in cooperation with Indonesian state-owned enterprise Bio Farma.
2020 also marked the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Four memorandum of understanding, including cooperation in developing cyber security capacity and technology, were signed during Wang’s visit, according to Oratmangun.
Oratmangun underlined that Indonesia seeks China’s support on the implementation of ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific, as well as the peace and stability in the South China Sea.
“We will work hand in hand to maintain and promote multilateralism,” Oratmangu said.
The Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun at his residence in Beijing File Photo: Yin Yeping/GT
