Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China and Indonesia should jointly push the Group of 20 (G20) to strengthen solidarity and coordination in the global battle against COVID-19. 

In a telephone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, Wang said that the outbreaks of the coronavirus disease across the world have presented the international community with a grave common challenge. 

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China sympathizes with Indonesia's current situation and stands ready to carry out further cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, he said, noting that the shipping of supplies to Indonesia had started earlier in the day. 

Wang added that China is ready to help Indonesia purchase needed supplies in China and share epidemic control experience with Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations, and is confident that Indonesia will prevail over the disease. 

For her part, Retno said her country highly appreciates China's sharing of experience with and provision of medical supplies for other countries, demonstrating China's role as a responsible major country. 

Indonesia, she said, is willing to learn from China's experience and further step up cooperation in COVID-19 containment and is also ready to work with China to boost regional and global cooperation against the disease. 

She stressed that viruses recognize no national borders and that politicizing the disease is detrimental to global solidarity and cooperation in combating the pandemic. 

China ready to help India battle COVID-19 

In a phone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Wang said China stands ready to share experience in COVID-19 containment with India and help the neighbor fight the epidemic. 

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As the only two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, China and India should continue to support each other in combating COVID-19, Wang said, adding that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with India within multilateral frameworks to push for international solidarity and coordination and jointly safeguard global public health security. 

Jaishankar thanked China for its sympathies and assistance in medical supplies, saying that India appreciates the outstanding results of China's epidemic control efforts and stands ready to learn from its experience. 

India opposes using the virus as a label of stigmatization and maintains that the international community should send out signals of solidarity and determination at this difficult moment, he said.

China and ASEAN strengthen cooperation against COVID-19 

On the same day, Wang also talked with Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof of Brunei by phone. 

Wang said that the Chinese people and the people of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will further strengthen solidarity, cooperation and trust in their common battle against COVID-19. 

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At the same time, Wang thanked the government and the people of Brunei for their active support to China in its fight against the epidemic and the financial aid which they granted to it, which illustrates the friendship of the sultanate of Brunei towards the Chinese people. 

For his part, Erywan congratulated China for having effectively controlled the spread of COVID-19.  

He also sincerely thanked China for its support and assistance to Brunei, hoping that China-ASEAN trade will return to normal as soon as possible after the end of the epidemic.

(With input from Xinhua)