Chinese, Nepali FMs hold phone talk over coronavirus, relations

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had a phone talk on Monday over the COVID-19 battle and bilateral ties.

Gyawali said the Nepal side is glad to see the visible progress China made under the leadership of President Xi Jinping in the fight against the coronavirus.

Nepal, as China's friendly neighbor, highly appreciates and fully supports the Chinese government's and people's efforts in the COVID-19 battle, firmly believes China's early success over the epidemic, and will continue to stand firmly by China's side, the minister said.

The Nepal government is ready to work with China to implement the achievements gained during President Xi's visit to Nepal, Gyawali added.

For his part, Wang noted that President Xi's historical visit to Nepal last year has achieved fruitful results.

In this year, which marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Nepal, the two sides should further implement the important consensuses reached by the two leaders, so as to push forward the bilateral ties and their practical cooperation in all fields to continuous new development, Wang said.

Wang said that Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have sent condolences to President Xi after the COVID-19 outbreak. The Nepali government donated surgical masks to China at the hardest time during the country's COVID-19 fight, which was a testament to the traditional friendship between China and Nepal. Such deeds have been engraved in the hearts of the Chinese people.

Wang noted that under the command of President Xi, the Chinese people have pulled together and made critical headway in their battle against the epidemic.

Upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China, Wang said, has not only shouldered the responsibility for the health of its own people but also the health of the people from the rest of the world. China won time for the rest of the world to confront the novel coronavirus, and contributed to safeguarding global public health and security.

The COVID-19 contagion situation has shown a trend to break out in multiple places, to which China has attached great importance, Wang said, adding that China is actively cooperating with the international community to confront the challenge.