China urges US to respond ‘reasonably’ to coronavirus outbreak

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged US President Donald Trump to respond “reasonably” to the coronavirus outbreak, saying Beijing is doing all it can to contain the epidemic.

In a phone conversation with his US counterpart on Friday, Xi said China was "fully confident and capable of defeating the epidemic".

He said "the long-term trend of China's economic development for the better will not change" under the brunt of the epidemic, Chinese national broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xi called the fight to contain the new coronavirus a "people's war", saying China has implemented "nationwide mobilization, comprehensive deployment and rapid response" along with "the strictest prevention and control measures" against the virus.

Xi’s comments came after China accused the United States of spreading fear over the epidemic by pulling Americans out of the Asian country and enforcing travel restrictions instead of providing aid to Beijing in curbing the killer infection.

China: US spreading fear over coronavirus outbreak instead of offering aid

Washington has “unceasingly manufactured and spread panic” over the outbreak.

The US was the first country that began pulling its nationals from China, issued a travel warning against going to the Asian country, and from Sunday barred entry to foreigners who had recently been there.

Many international officials, however, have hailed the Asian giant's efforts to contain the epidemic. 

Argentine Health Minister Gines Gonzalez Garcia said on Thursday China's response to the epidemic was prompt and the prevention and control measures were appropriate. 

"I think China is taking correct prevention and control measures. We thank the Chinese government for its actions. We oppose all kinds of discrimination, and we fully support China," said Garcia. 

Sazaly Abu Bakar, a senior professor at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Center at University of Malaya, also spoke highly of China's efforts in timely reporting and sharing the information about the virus.

Bakar who is also the director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Arbovirus Reference and Research showed his support for the Chinese government's decisive measures to deal with the epidemic. 

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif praised China for taking “successful” measures to contain the outbreak and denounced US attempts to exploit the health crisis.

Zarif told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Iran was willing to work together with China to combat the epidemic caused by the coronavirus.

“China is obviously more responsible and successful than the United States in preventing and controlling (the) H1N1 flu in 2009,” he said.

Wang, for his part, thanked Tehran for supporting Beijing in fighting the epidemic, hailing Zarif as the first foreign minister publicly backing China.

The novel coronavirus virus has claimed at least 630 lives in China since its outbreak in central Hubei Province last December and infected more than 31,000 people.

The flu-like virus has already spread to more than 20 countries, with at least 151 cases scattered around the globe.

Coronavirus death toll hits 563, over 28,000 infected

The coronavirus has so far claimed 563 lives and infected more than 28,000 people in mainland China.

The new coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and its symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.

Chinese authorities have so far placed several cities under lockdown in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus. 

Airports around the world are screening all passengers on incoming flights from China to counter the outbreak. 

Some countries, including the United States, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Vietnam, have denied entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China.

On Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry said Italy was willing to resume some flights between the two countries, after it suspended direct air traffic last month.

The ministry said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a meeting with Italy’s ambassador to China Luca Ferrari on Thursday, during which they discussed the issue.

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