Foreign govts, legislative bodies express solidarity, confidence with China on overcoming pneumonia epidemic

BEIJING - Governments and legislative bodies worldwide have expressed their faith in China's efforts in fighting a novel coronavirus outbreak and called for global solidarity.

"China and all of us are confronted with the peril of the spreading of the coronavirus infection," said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The Chinese authorities are taking decisive and vigorous measures in order to stop the epidemic," he said Wednesday at a ceremony presenting credentials by ambassadors of 23 countries, including China.

Underlining the unprecedented high-level bilateral ties, he said Russia stands ready to provide the friendly Chinese people with all kinds of assistance.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he is optimistic that China will contain the outbreak of the coronavirus and eventually wipe it out.

During a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Uganda on Tuesday at the State House, the president also called on Ugandans in China to remain there, as the Chinese government has put in place mechanisms to contain and prevent the transmission of the disease.

The Tunisian government has expressed solidarity with China in its fight to contain the epidemic.

"China will succeed in overcoming this crisis, thanks to the important medical capacities and its logistical, material and human potentials," it said in a statement Monday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday met leaders of the Chinese community in Spain to offer them his support and the support of the Spanish people to China in tackling the ongoing epidemic.

He commended China's efforts to control the spread of the virus and pledged to offer help.

The spokesperson of Equatorial Guinea, Eugenio Nze Obiang, said Tuesday that the Central African country has decided to provide assistance for China to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Equatorial Guinea will stand in solidarity with China in fighting against the virus, he said.

Costa Rican Health Minister Daniel Salas has praised China's "responsible" and "transparent" handling of the epidemic.

The Chinese authorities "have been quite responsible in terms of undertaking the measures to contain (the virus)," Salas told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"Managing so many people is a real challenge. They have been handling it and it is laudable that they have been very transparent with the WHO," he said, stressing that Costa Rica has no plans to close its borders to anyone as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has called on the international community to act in solidarity with China.

"A problem in China today could occur on a different continent tomorrow," he told Xinhua on Tuesday, urging the world to act in an integrated manner and calling on countries to support each other.

Meanwhile, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Tuesday that Turkey is ready to share its capacity and experience with China in its fight against the novel coronavirus.

Noting that Turkey stands with the people of China in these "challenging" days, Koca said, "we believe that our Chinese colleagues and the government will overcome this problem as soon as possible."

"Regarding the coronavirus epidemic, the world should be in solidarity with the Chinese people without waiting for an invitation," Koca added.

Speaker of Sri Lanka's Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has said that the South Asian country respects China's decisive measures to prevent and control the epidemic and its active cooperation with the international community, which demonstrates China's high sense of responsibility for the whole world's welfare.

Sri Lanka firmly believes in China's victory over the epidemic and stands ready to work with the Chinese people in this regard, he said.

Parliament Speaker of Chile Ivan Flores said Monday that China has taken decisive actions to combat the pneumonia epidemic and cooperated with the international community in an open and transparent manner, which is appreciated.

Chile supports the Chinese government and people in tackling the outbreak and is convinced of China's victory, he said while meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Chile.