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Coronavirus pandemic

Russian, Chinese top diplomats discuss situation around coronavirus pandemic

The sides gave high assessment of bilateral cooperation and exchange of experience in fighting against the pandemic and preventing its further spread

MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. The situation around the novel coronavirus pandemic was in focus of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has recently had a telephone conversation with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The sides discussed the situation caused by the pandemic and gave high assessment of bilateral cooperation and exchange of experience in fighting against the pandemic and preventing its further spread. They noted the efficiency of the measures taken in our countries," she said.

"They also stressed the importance of expanding contacts in the interests of the protection of people’s lives and ensuring wellbeing of the two countries’ citizens. The ministers agreed that in the current conditions of the pandemic Russia and China continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, advocate common positions in global affairs, expand foreign policy coordination, including the implementation of Moscow’s and Beijing’s responsibility as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for maintaining international peace and security," she added.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December 2019. Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from 160 countries, including Russia, which by now has 1,036, with three deaths and 45 recoveries. According to the latest update, the novel coronavirus cases across the globe have neared 522,000, with more than 23,500 fatalities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially described the situation with the novel coronavirus as a pandemic.

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