MEXICO CITY, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The third shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived Saturday at the Mexico City's international airport.

Citizens inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac sit in an observation area at a vaccination site in Ecatepec, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2021. (File photo: Xinhua)

The arrival of the new batch of Chinese-made vaccines was an important indicator of the close cooperation and strengthening ties between Mexico and China, said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs Martha Delgado.

"Foreign Minister (Marcelo) Ebrard has said, every time we receive the doses of vaccines from China, that Mexico will never forget the gesture of solidarity that we have received from China and its ambassador to Mexico, Zhu Qingqiao," she said.

The first batch of Sinovac vaccines arrived in Mexico in February after the country's Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks authorized its emergency use against the coronavirus.

The Mexican government has inoculated older adults in poor areas of the country as part of its vaccination campaign that began in December.

As of Saturday, Mexico has reported more than 2.1 million cases and 193,851 deaths from COVID-19.