China to continue helping Uzbekistan fight COVID-19: Chinese FM

BEIJING -- China is ready to continue helping Uzbekistan fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday in a telephone conversation with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev have built deep friendship and mutual trust, which provide a solid foundation for bilateral relations, Wang said.

He said that the Chinese people identify with the Uzbek side as the countries are both fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

China is ready to continue helping Uzbekistan within its capacity, including sending medical teams to Uzbekistan to share anti-epidemic experience and helping the Uzbek side purchase medical supplies in China, Wang said.

China believes that the Uzbek side will defeat the COVID-19 outbreak under the leadership of President Mirziyoyev, Wang said, voicing hope that the Uzbek side will continue to guarantee the health and safety of Chinese nationals in Uzbekistan.

The pandemic will end and cooperation will continue, Wang said, noting that China-Uzbekistan mutual trust and friendship will be further strengthened in the joint battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

The two sides could take various and flexible measures to ensure the implementation of key cooperation projects and minimize the impact of the epidemic on cooperation, Wang said.

The two sides should also encourage enterprises to innovate cooperation modes and foster new forms of cooperation, Wang said, believing that China-Uzbekistan cooperation to jointly build the Belt and Road will surely achieve greater development.

Mankind is a community with a shared future, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon against the pandemic, the Chinese foreign minister said.

China, Wang added, has always carried out international cooperation in an open and transparent manner, actively shared epidemic information with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community in a timely fashion, and extended a helping hand to countries in need.

However, some country continues to make groundless accusations against China, and launched slanderous attacks on the WHO, which constitute a "political virus" more destructive than the novel coronavirus, he added.

Noting that cooperation and trust, rather than counteraction or suspicion, are most needed, Wang said the Chinese side stands ready to continue strengthening cooperation with countries around the world, including Uzbekistan, and support the WHO in playing its due role.

For his part, Kamilov said the Chinese people, who have demonstrated unprecedented unity and great perseverance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, can withstand any difficult test, adding that China's experience and achievements against COVID-19 have set an example for all countries around the globe.

Kamilov expressed his country's gratitude for China's selfless help, saying that Chinese medical experts have played an important role in Uzbekistan's combat against COVID-19.

Uzbekistan will do its utmost to guarantee the safety of Chinese citizens in the Central Asian country, he added.

He said the Uzbek side is willing to enhance mutual support and cooperation with the Chinese side in such multilateral arenas as the United Nations.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Afghanistan and other international and regional issues.