JAKARTA — Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Jan 13 with both sides pledging to join hands to firmly uphold multinationalism so as to safeguard international fairness and justice.

During the meeting, Wang said as both major developing countries and emerging economies, the cooperation between China and Indonesia bears strategic importance and global influence.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders of the two countries have maintained frequent communications and provided strategic guidance for the joint fight against the pandemic and the development of bilateral relations, he said.

Both sides have worked actively to dovetail the Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of Global Maritime Fulcrum with significant progresses achieved in bilateral cooperation, strong resilience, and great potential demonstrated in fighting the pandemic, Wang noted.

China is willing to work with Indonesia to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and press forward the further development of bilateral ties in the post-COVID-19 era based on joint fight against the virus as well as development and cooperation, he said.

The two countries have successfully conducted the third phase of clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine and the emergency use of the vaccine, setting up an example for countries in the region and other developing countries in the field of vaccine cooperation, Wang said.

Despite the mounting domestic demand for the vaccines, China is willing to continue supporting enterprises from both countries in vaccine cooperation in both production and purchase so as to jointly promote the availability and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries and advance the building of a health community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

The Chinese state councilor also said China is ready to join hands with Indonesia to push for high-quality cooperation in Belt and Road Initiative projects, including the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and the regional comprehensive economic corridor.

China is also keen to boost cooperation with Indonesia in scientific innovation to keep pace with the fourth industrial revolution and create new growth opportunities in sectors of 5G, big data, and e-commerce, he said.

Wang said China values Indonesia's important status and role within the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is willing to work together with Indonesia, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations this year, to elevate the China-ASEAN relations, forge blue economy partnership and put into effect of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at the earliest possible date.

China supports Indonesia in assuming presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) in 2022, Wang said, noting that China stands ready to work with Indonesia to jointly adhere to open and inclusive multilateralism, uphold international equity and justice and push for global governance in the post-COVID-19 era as responsible major developing countries.

Widodo, for his part, said the two countries have enjoyed sound development of relations, and remarkable achievements have been made in public health cooperation since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Noting that COVID-19 vaccines provided by China have arrived in Indonesia and he received the first vaccine shot in the country, the Indonesian president expressed his gratitude to China for the strong support.

Widodo said Indonesia is willing to enhance cooperation with China, expedite synergy between the development strategies of the two countries and actively promote cooperation in key projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway.

The Indonesian president also hoped that the two countries will further deepen cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, and finance, and strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Indonesia is willing to make joint efforts with China to practice multilateralism and promote regional peace and development.