BEIJING, January 31. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities will continue fighting against the new coronavirus 2019 n-CoV with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the sake of all countries, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying said on Friday, commenting on WHO's decision to declare the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.

"The Chinese government consistently takes an absolutely responsible position, paying a lot of attention to the issue of protecting public health in the country. We are taking comprehensive and serious measures [in the fight against the coronavirus]," Hua said. "We absolutely believe in success and have everything necessary to defeat the virus. China is ready to work together with the WHO through all channels to ensure regional and global security in the sphere of public health," she added.

The spokesperson said that China ensures full transparency of information about the new coronavirus and will share all avalaible data with other countries.

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the infecting agent: coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

According to latest reports, a total of 9,692 people were infected with the new coronavirus in China, and the death toll reached 213.

Cases of the new coronavirus were also confirmed in 19 other countries. The WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency.