On November 28, 2017, the Third Meeting of the Deputy PM-level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism between China and Indonesia was held in Surakarta, Indonesia. The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Puan Maharani, and attended by Party Secretary & Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Wang Zhigang. Cooperation in science and technology innovation was included as an important topic in the framework of the mechanism. Mechanism coordinators from both sides reported to the meeting on the status of bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in science and technology innovation, in the various fields.
At the meeting, under the witness of Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Minister Puan, Secretary Wang Zhigang and Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Muhammad Nasir jointly singed the Three-Year Action Plan (2018-2020) between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of Indonesia for Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation, the Implementation Agreement on Science Park Cooperation and the Implementation Agreement on Co-Building the China-Indonesia Joint Research Center for Port Construction and Disaster Prevention. Thanks to these three agreements, the two sides have jointly identified the directions and key content of bilateral cooperation in science and technology in the next three years, opened up a new key area of science parks, and expanded the co-building of joint laboratory in new fields.
On November 27, Secretary Wang Zhigang accompanied Vice Premier Liu Yandong to the China-Indonesia Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Forum. Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of Indonesia, the Forum was one of the key events of the current meeting of the mechanism. Vice Premier Liu Yandong made a keynote speech, and Secretary Wang Zhigang and Minister Nasir both addressed the Forum. Vice Premier Liu Yandong, Secretary Wang Zhigang, Secretary Nasir and Deputy Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Agus Sartono jointly attended the launch ceremony of the China-Indonesia Three-Year Action Plan (2018-2020) for Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation and unveiled the plaque for the 3 cooperation projects of the China-Indonesia High Temperature Gas Reactor Joint Laboratory, the China-Indonesia Biotechnology Joint Laboratory and the China-Indonesia Technology Transfer Center.
During his visit, Secretary Wang Zhigang exchanged views with Minister Nasir on cooperation in science and technology innovation and held talks with President of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. Secretary Wang Zhigang briefed the host on the status of bilateral cooperation in science and technology between the two countries, new plans for science and technology innovation unveiled at the 19th Party Congress and considerations for the 2018 China-ASEAN Year of Innovation and expressed the hope that the two sides could continue their pragmatic cooperation in accordance with the Belt and Road Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan and the China-Indonesia Three-Year Action Plan for Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation. The Indonesian side expressed appreciation for Secretary Wang‘s proposal of deepening bilateral pragmatic cooperation and briefed the guest on the overall situation of science and technology development in Indonesia and the country’s key cooperation projects with China. The Indonesian side also expressed its willingness to further strengthen cooperation with China in science and technology innovation and hoped to sign a memorandum of cooperation on that matter. The two sides reached a number of consensus on substantive cooperation in fields of science and technology of common concern.