President Jokowi and President Xi Jinping to Bolster Indonesia-China Ties

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have pledged to maintain cooperation in the economic field and in the fight against Covid-19, as both countries marked 70 years of bilateral ties.

“I spoke to [President Xi] on the phone on the evening of August 31. We both agreed that Covid-19 should not get in the way of economic cooperation,” Jokowi said in a Facebook page on Tuesday, September 1.

“Among [the economic policies] that we are working on is the travel corridor between our countries. This measure, which will be carried out under tight health protocols, can facilitate essential business travel and official visits.”

Also read: Indonesia, China Hold Meeting on Covid-19

Jokowi also highlighted Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and State Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir’s recent visit to Hainan Island in China, where they touched on cooperation in the economic field as well as countering Covid-19.

“I appreciate the Chinese government’s willingness to co-produce and provide a Covid-19 vaccine,” Jokowi said.

President Xi mentioned his talk with Jokowi to China’s state news agency Xinhua. “China will continue to offer Indonesia firm support and provide it with as much material and technical assistance as China's capacity allows.

“[We will also share our] experience in Covid-19 control, diagnosis and treatment, so as to help improve the availability and affordability of vaccines in the two countries and around the globe.”

Also read: Indonesia's Bio Farma to Get 50M of Covid-19 Bulk Vaccine Starting November

Indonesian state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma is currently testing a vaccine with the Chinese pharmaceutical Sinovac.

Xi pointed out that Chinese-Indonesian trade actually increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese investment in Indonesia is actually on the upswing, as are Indonesian exports to China.

Aside from finding a vaccine for Covid-19, China and Indonesia are also collaborating on a number of initiatives, including a rapid train project between Jakarta and the city of Bandung, the capital of West Java province.

(Writer: Rakhmat Nur Hakim | Editor : Krisiandi)

Sources:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/01/16453661/lewat-telepon-jokowi-dan-xi-jinping-bahas-kerja-sama-perjalanan-bisnis-dan?page=all#page2. 

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/01/c_139333754.htm