BEIJING: Xi Jinping discusses Coronavirus with Donald Trump. Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Friday, spoke with US President Donald Trump on the coronavirus outbreak. He urged Washington to respond “reasonably” to the epidemic, state media reported.
Xi told Trump on the phone that China was “fully confident and capable of defeating the epidemic.” Along with that, “the long-term trend of China’s economic development for the better will not change”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese President has called the fight to contain the virus a “people’s war.” He told Trump that China has implemented “nationwide mobilisation, comprehensive deployment and rapid response” along with “the strictest prevention and control measures” against the virus.
Xi Jinping also urged the US to act “reasonably” in response to the outbreak, the official Xinhua news agency said.
The viral outbreak originated in Wuhan, central China late last year. It has now infected at least 31,000 people and caused 636 deaths, mostly within China. Local governments across China have locked down cities of tens of millions of people in response to the crisis. Meanwhile, global panic has risen over the more than 240 cases that have emerged in two dozen countries.
The US has temporarily barred entry to foreigners who have been in China. This is within the past two weeks. Joining countries include Italy, Singapore and Mongolia who have announced expansive restrictions on travellers from the virus-hit country. The United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and other countries have also advised their citizens not to travel to China.