Global ties vital to fight coronavirus

China stands ready to work with the international community to effectively curb the spread of the pneumonia cases caused by a new strain of coronavirus to uphold global health security, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

Xi made the remark in telephone conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.

Xi said that since the outbreak of the contagion, China has made all-out efforts to prevent and control the disease, promptly disclose related information, and informed the World Health Organization as well as relevant countries and regions about the disease in a timely manner.

Macron said his country supports China in actively dealing with the contagion and is willing to strengthen bilateral health cooperation.

Merkel appreciates China's efforts to contain the spread of the contagious disease in a timely manner, and said Beijing remains open and transparent in developing international cooperation on the outbreak. Germany stands ready to provide support and assistance to China, she added.

People are seen wearing masks at Beijing Railway Station on Jan 21, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

During the telephone talks with the European leaders, Xi also stressed China's commitment to further strengthen relations with the two countries as well as the European Union.

He underlined the need for Beijing and Paris to implement the consensus he and Macron reached on pragmatic cooperation, take into account each other's major concerns, and advance collaboration in such fields as civilian nuclear energy, science and technology and aerospace.

Xi said the Chinese market is open to the world and will continue to be open to France and Europe. He called for strengthening communication and coordination between China and France on the reform of World Trade Organization to move it forward in the right direction.

Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU, Xi expressed the hope that both sides could reach a high-level investment agreement.

They should also work together to uphold multilateralism and free trade, improve global governance, build an open world economy and jointly deal with global challenges such as climate change in order to take China-EU relations to a new and higher stage, Xi said.

Macron said he expects to visit China again, and his country stands ready to strengthen bilateral trade and investment cooperation as well as teamwork in international affairs. He reiterated that France will not take discriminatory measures against any country or company in terms of 5G technologies.

Passengers pose with an air hostess on a flight from Beijing to Guangzhou on Jan 10. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

In his telephone conversation with Merkel, Xi said China and Germany shoulder important responsibilities given the increasingly unstable world situation. He expressed the hope that China and Germany could become partners who depend on each other despite their ideological differences.

Saying that the Chinese market keeps growing, Xi told Merkel that China's economic and trade cooperation with relevant countries will not impact on the interests of its other trade partners, including Germany and the EU. China hopes Germany will continue to create a level-playing field for Chinese companies, Xi said.

Merkel said her country is happy about China's agreement with the United States on the phase-one trade deals. She said German's market will continue to open to China and her country will treat foreign companies in a fair manner, including Chinese companies.

Merkel said her country stands ready to have close communication with China in the hope that positive progress will be made in the EU-China Investment Agreement, jointly dealing with climate change and the third-country market cooperation. Cooperation between China and Central and East European countries is an important part of EU-China cooperation, she added.

Xi also exchanged views with Macron and Merkel on major international and regional issues, including the Iran nuclear issue.

Editor: John Li