Beijing, March 13 Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over phone, urging the international community to take urgent action in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Xi recalled that since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, Guterres has written to him to extend sympathies and express appreciation of China's prevention and control measures, and has publicly voiced support for China's anti-epidemic efforts on multiple occasions, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese president conveyed his gratitude to the UN chief, pointing out that as Chinese people often say, a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Thanks to arduous endeavours, China has been witnessing a domestic trend in which the situation of epidemic prevention and control is making sustained progress and the order of life and production is being restored at an increasing pace, Xi said.
For the next step, he added, China will act as prudently at the end as at the beginning, and carry on its prevention and control efforts in an unrelenting, solid and meticulous fashion, and meanwhile earnestly advance all aspects of work in economic and social development.
The Chinese people will definitely prevail over the COVID-19 epidemic and will also definitely realize its intended targets for economic and social development, Xi said. "I am fully confident in that."
Xi stressed that the Chinese people's hard work has won precious time for and made important contributions to other countries' epidemic prevention and control.
Noting that with COVID-19 having recently occurred and spread in a number of countries, the situation is worrying, he urged the international community to take urgent action and carry out effective international cooperation in joint prevention and control, so as to form a strong concerted force to beat the disease.
China stands ready to share its experience with other countries, carry out joint research and development on drugs and vaccines, and offer as much assistance as it can to countries where the disease is spreading, Xi said.
He added that China supports the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) in mobilizing the international community to enhance policy coordination, expand resources input, and particularly help developing countries with poor public health systems prepare themselves for prevention and response.
China, he said, has announced a 20-million-U.S.-dollar donation to the WHO in support of its efforts to organize international actions against the epidemic.
The epidemic has once again demonstrated that mankind is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe, Xi stressed, adding that in the era of economic globalization, COVID-19 will not be the world's last major emergency, and various traditional and non-traditional security issues will constantly bring about new tests.
( With inputs from IANS )