China helps Indonesia build COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing hub

People wearing face masks in Indonesia - Illustrative image (Photo: xinhua/VNA)

Vaccine cooperation has become a new highlight of bilateral relations between the two countries, Xiao stressed.

Five Chinese companies are working closely with their Indonesian counterparts to support the production of vaccines through varied technical routes, he noted.

By the start of November, Sinovac and Sinopharm had supplied 41 batches of vaccines to Indonesia, totaling 247 million doses, accounting for 80 percent of the volume of vaccines received by Indonesia, he said.

Indonesia is competing with India and the Republic of Korea to emerge as a hub for training and transfer of knowledge for COVID-19 vaccine production in the Asia-Pacific region, Director of Socio-cultural Affairs and International Organisations of Developing Countries at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Penny D. Herasati said.

Vaccine hubs are being planned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in several regions to achieve global herd immunity, she added./.

VNA