China keeps up global cooperation in coronavirus fight

During the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Chinese mainland has fully communicated and cooperated with global organizations and foreign countries based on the principles of openness and transparency, health minister Ma Xiaowei said on Sunday.

The new virus has spread to 10 foreign countries as of Saturday at midnight, infecting over two dozen people overseas, according to the National Health Commission. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have also seen a handful of infected cases.

Since the novel coronavrius was first discovered in the central city of Wuhan in Hubei province, the commission has shared the genome sequence of the virus with scientists across the globe and has been actively sharing information with the World Health Organization, Ma said.

Experts from the WHO were invited to travel to Wuhan to gain a better understanding of the outbreak and facilitate the global flight against the disease, he added.

Chinese scientists have also participated in meetings held by the Emergency Committee of the WHO to distribute and discuss the latest information on the outbreak.

The WHO decided on Thursday the outbreak linked to the novel coronavirus does not constitute a global health emergency.

China has also strengthened bilateral collaboration with foreign countries affected by the virus outbreak, Ma said.

China has been working with health authorities in Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the United States and other countries to verify confirmed or suspected infections.

In addition to regular sharing of information, the Chinese mainland has also provided free diagnostic kits to Hong Kong and Macao.

"In the future, China will continue global cooperation and report new information on the outbreak in a timely fashion," he said.