Chinese Foreign Ministry: "We Have the Ability to Fight and Overcome the Novel Coronavirus"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] The Chinese government has expressed confidence in overcoming the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

On the 31st, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement under spokesperson Hua Chunying, saying, "Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Chinese government has taken the attitude of being responsible for the health of the people and implemented the most comprehensive and strict quarantine measures," adding, "Many of these measures far exceed the level required by the International Health Regulations."

She said, "China has the confidence and ability to win the fight against this epidemic," and added, "China has notified relevant countries of the epidemic situation in an open, transparent, and responsible manner. The rapid sharing of the genetic sequence information of the novel coronavirus was highly praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many countries."

Spokesperson Hua also emphasized that China is maintaining close communication and cooperation with the WHO to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. She said, "Recently, WHO experts came to Wuhan to conduct on-site investigations," and "China will cooperate not only with the WHO but also with other countries to safeguard regional and global public health security.”

On the same day, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) also stated, "We have the belief and ability to effectively control the virus and ultimately win the war," expressing that the Chinese government highly values the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus and has already implemented the strictest quarantine measures.

Earlier, on the 30th (local time), the WHO declared the sixth "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC) regarding the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak at an emergency committee meeting. According to the International Health Regulations, the WHO can declare an "international emergency" if a disease spreads internationally and poses a risk to public health in other countries.

The novel coronavirus is on the verge of surpassing 10,000 confirmed cases within China just one month after the outbreak. As of midnight on this day, 1,982 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported across all 31 provinces in one day. The newly added death toll also reached 43. Currently, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in China is 9,692, with 213 deaths. Among them, 1,527 are severe cases, so the death toll is expected to continue rising rapidly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.