MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised achievements of the government and the people of China in countering the coronavirus infection during his phone talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Kremlin press service said Thursday.

"The coronavirus pandemic situation was discussed in detail, with emphasis on tight cooperation Russian and China have set up from the beginning [of the outbreak]. Russian side has praised the results, achieved by the Chinese government and the entire Chinese people, in countering of the spread of the disease. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping spoke in favor of further mutual assistance and deepening of cooperation in medical field and drug development," the press service noted.

The leaders have also exchanged opinions on a number of other aspects of development of friendly Russian-Chinese relations.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak was registered in central China in late December 2019. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. COVID-19 infection cases have been recorded in more than 140 countries. According to the latest data, over 210,000 people have contracted the virus; about 8,500 of them have died. A total of 199 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia so far, one person has died.