China ready to help India battle COVID-19

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China stands ready to share experience in COVID-19 containment with India and help the neighbor fight the epidemic.

In a phone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Wang said China extends sincere sympathies to India, where the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is increasing.

China, he added, appreciates India's containment efforts and the visible progress it has achieved, and believes that the Indian people will properly deal with the disease and overcome it as soon as possible.

As the only two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, China and India should continue to support each other in combating COVID-19, Wang said, adding that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with India within multilateral frameworks to push for international solidarity and coordination and jointly safeguard global public health security.

Jaishankar thanked China for its sympathies and assistance in medical supplies, saying that India appreciates the outstanding results of China's epidemic control efforts and stands ready to learn from China's experience.

India opposes using the virus as a label of stigmatization, and maintains that the international community should send out signals of solidarity and determination at this difficult moment, he said.