China has successfully helped contain the global spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, as the number of new cases confirmed in other countries is falling and the number of people who have contracted the virus outside of China is less than one percent of the number of infected people in the county, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press conference in Germany
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2020) China has successfully helped contain the global spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, as the number of new cases confirmed in other countries is falling and the number of people who have contracted the virus outside of China is less than one percent of the number of infected people in the county, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press conference in Germany.
"The detection of new cases of infection outside of Hubei province has declined for the 10th day in row, the percentage of patients being cured continues to grow, and more than 6,000 people have been discharged from hospital. Statistics and facts show that, based on the general situation, the epidemic can be controlled and the disease can be cured," a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement quoted Wang as saying on Thursday.
In late January, Chinese officials took radical action in order to contain the spread of the novel strain of coronavirus. The city of Wuhan, the outbreak's epicenter, was essentially locked down, as all outbound travel was suspended. The foreign minister noted that the Chinese government has informed the World Health Organization about the virus as soon as it was detected and remained open about its spread.
"China's efforts have effectively prevented the spread of the virus to other countries. So far, the number of coronavirus cases outside China has not even reached one percent of the number of infected people in China," Wang stated, as quoted by the ministry.
According to Wang, Chinese officials will continue to work diligently with the World Health Organization (WHO) and maintain the principles of openness and transparency in reporting about the spread of the virus, named COVID-19 by WHO. He expressed his confidence that a cure to the infection will be found.
The Chinese foreign minister also touched upon the economic impact of the outbreak.
"The coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on the Chinese economy, but this will only be in the short term. We will work to minimize the impact on the economy," Wang said, adding that he had full confidence that China will meet all its economic targets this year.
The Chinese foreign minister, who is scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference that begins on Friday, met with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on Thursday. Both parties held the fifth round of the China-Germany strategic dialogue on diplomacy and security, which focused on a number of pressing bilateral and global issues.
The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan located in the Hubei province in late December and has since spread to more than 20 other countries. So far, the virus has infected over 64,400 people worldwide, resulting in the deaths of over 1,380 people. Over 500 reported cases have been confirmed outside of China.
