China attaches great importance to Nepal's urgent need for COVID-19 vaccines and has decided to provide the first batch of vaccine aid for Nepal, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.
Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Wang said, China and Nepal have helped each other, strived to work together to defeat the virus, and carried out sound cooperation in the anti-virus fight.
China has been earnestly fulfilling President Xi Jinping's commitment to making Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and is willing to facilitate the purchase of vaccines for Nepal, he added.
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Gyawali, for his part, said that the Nepali government and people are grateful for China's timely and valuable vaccine aid and stand ready to continue to deepen anti-epidemic cooperation with China.
On the same day, the Chinese official also spoke with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on COVID-19 cooperation.
Ready to deepen vaccine cooperation
China is ready to deepen cooperation with Indonesia on COVID-19 vaccines and help in its domestic anti-epidemic fight, Wang said in his phone conversation with the Indonesian official.
Both President Joko Widodo and Luhut have received the shot of the COVID-19 vaccine made by China, which has demonstrated their trust in the country, Wang stressed.
The Chinese side attaches great importance to Indonesia's need for vaccines and supports its efforts to build the center for vaccine production in Southeast Asia, Wang said.
For his part, Luhut said the Indonesian government and people appreciate China's timely offer of vaccines, and hope to continue to learn from China's experience in epidemic prevention and control and push forward anti-virus cooperation with China.
(With input from Xinhua)