“China and Indonesia share a relationship akin to that of a close family; we can grow, develop, and strengthen together!” said Taruna Ikrar, the head of Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), during an interview, expressing the profound friendship between the two countries. He also highly acknowledged the Chinese traditional medicine industry, stating a clear intention to promote deep cooperation between China and Indonesia in traditional medicine, biopharmaceuticals, and medical AI.
Chairman Ikrar did not hold back in praising Chinese traditional medicine: “Traditional Chinese medicine is widespread and popular globally, and there is already a consensus in the international community about it.” He specifically mentioned his recent 10-day visit to China, where he toured six cities and met with five industry companies and three government agencies. He also gave a speech at Tsinghua University, witnessing firsthand the achievements of traditional Chinese medicine in establishing evidence-based medical foundations in hospitals. He emphasized that Indonesia has its own traditional medicine system, “Jamu,” which has been listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, with 18,600 registered products and more than 30,000 herbal resources. The complementary advantages in traditional medicine between China and Indonesia are the foundational basis for cooperation.
Regarding specific collaboration directions, Chairman Ikrar outlined four key areas: Raw Material Procurement: Establishing a sustainable raw material supply cooperation system based on Indonesia’s rich biodiversity and China’s established Good Agricultural Collection Practices (GACP); R&D Innovation: Promoting a “Production-Academia-Research” (ABG) and “Triple Helix” cooperative model to conduct joint clinical trials, in vitro tests, and component extraction research; Production Transformation: Supporting Chinese and Indonesian companies in establishing joint ventures. For example, the CanSino tuberculosis vaccine has already received clinical trial approval in Indonesia, serving as a benchmark for cooperation; Market Access: Promoting regulatory mutual recognition to facilitate cross-border sales with the concept of “approval in one country, mutual recognition in both.”
As a neuroscientist, cardiologist, and pharmacologist, Chairman Ikrar places special emphasis on the application of medical AI. He revealed that Indonesia has applied AI in the registration and approval of traditional medicine, using algorithms to achieve precision and efficiency in certification and quality control, significantly shortening approval cycles. The plan is to gradually expand this application to health products, food, and pharmaceuticals. “China has matured in the application of AI in healthcare; we hope to learn from this deep experience and promote cooperation between our drug regulatory authorities in AI oversight, enabling technology to empower cross-border pharmaceutical collaboration.”
To ensure the implementation of this cooperation, Indonesia’s drug regulatory agency has formulated a clear policy path: plans to renew and expand the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to include new fields such as traditional medicine, medical AI, and market supervision, aiming to extend the agreement for 4-5 years. They are preparing for a “Business Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Jamu” to create a platform for government, business, and academia to connect and eliminate trade barriers. A joint working group will be established to promote alignment of quality standards and joint innovation pilot projects, while facilitating personnel exchanges and technical communication, allowing for mutual empowerment of regulatory experiences and R&D capabilities between the two countries.
“China-Indonesia cooperation not only benefits the people of both countries but can also impact the nearly one billion population market of ASEAN,” Chairman Ikrar stated. In addition to traditional medicine, both sides can expand cooperation in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). He sincerely invited relevant Chinese institutions to visit Indonesia and looks forward to returning to China to enrich the collaborative outcomes in the fields of medicine, AI, and food, deepening the friendship that is already like family through practical cooperation.