TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday reiterated his country's commitment to help Indonesia become a COVID-19 vaccine production center in Southeast Asia. Beijing is extending support to Indonesia to develop a regional center of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

"China has sent COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN countries and is helping Indonesia to become a vaccine center to supply the needs of ASEAN countries," he said at a press conference in Beijing, Sunday, March 7.

China and ASEAN have been building strategic relationships and become dialogue partners for 30 years. Last year, ASEAN for the first time became China's largest trading partners, outperforming the European Union and the United States.

"China will continue to prioritize efforts to meet vaccine demand from ASEAN and further consolidate mutual beneficial cooperation and see that China's new development paradigm is better align with the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework," he said.

In the online press conference, Wang also mentioned the South China Sea issue. Wang added that China will continue to cooperate with ASEAN to overcome difficulties and press ahead with consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, "in order to build consensus, enhance mutual trust, advance cooperation and maintain overall stability in the South China Sea."

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