BEIJING: China stands ready to work with the international community to effectively curb the spread of the pneumonia cases caused by a new strain of coronavirus to uphold global health security, President Xi Jinping said. Xi made the remark in telephone conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday. Macron said his country supported China in dealing with the contagion and was willing to strengthen bilateral health cooperation. During telephone talks with European leaders, Xi stressed China’s commitment to further strengthen relations with the two countries as well as the European Union. Xi said the Chinese market was open to the world and would continue to be open to France and Europe.

Source: The Star January 24, 2020 01:01 UTC