Presidents of both countries agreed to continue cooperation in fighting COVID-19 as "the virus knows no borders".
hinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to working together with Indonesia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic during a phone call with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, asserting the Southeast Asian country as among priority nations to engage with.
In a statement issued by the State Secretariat, Xi shared his concerns about the COVID-19 spread in the archipelago and discussed his country’s experience in addressing the global health crisis. He mentioned his country’s readiness to support Indonesia in its fight against the pandemic.
“We believe that with your perseverance, Indonesia will be able to defeat this [COVID-19] pandemic,” said the Chinese president.
As the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, China has phased out of the crisis and is ready to cooperate with other countries.
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“Indonesia will be one of our priorities [in engaging in such cooperation],” Xi said. “We’re ready to work together with the Indonesian people.”
Jokowi said during the phone call that cooperation must be maintained as the virus knows no borders.
“We have to continue working together to curb the spread of the virus. I also disagree with stigmatization, as it is not beneficial in such a hard time like this,” Jokowi said.
The Indonesian Military transported medical gear from Shanghai to Jakarta on March 23.
The medical gear included disposable masks, N-95 masks, protective clothing, goggles, gloves, shoe covers, infrared thermometers and surgical caps to be used by the country’s doctors and fast-response team for COVID-19.
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On the next day, the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia announced that the Chinese government had shipped another round of medical kits.
The State Secretariat, however, has yet to share details about future cooperation and whether Indonesia would receive another round of aid from China.
The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta and the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing did not respond to The Jakarta Post’s request for comment.
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