State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the phone on the evening of 26 February.

Wang briefed on the latest progress China has made in fighting COVID-19. He noted that while the outbreak is trending in a positive direction, the complexity and severity of the epidemic still remain. China will continue to do its utmost to win the battle against the outbreak. The fundamentals sustaining China’s sound economic growth have not changed and the impact on the economy will be temporary and limited. China will work to minimize the impact of the epidemic and meet its annual targets for economic and social development.

Wang pointed out that in the face of COVID-19, China and Japan are together in a community with a shared future. China appreciates Japan’s solidarity from the very beginning of the outbreak and thanks for the valuable support and assistance offered by the Japanese government and people from all walks of life. In the same spirit, China follows closely the developments in Japan, and has provided much-needed medical and protective supplies as requested. It will continue to offer assistance as its ability permits in response to Japan’s needs. Going forward, the two countries could further strengthen exchanges between their competent departments and experts, increase cooperation in epidemic mitigation and control, medical treatment and research and development on drugs and vaccines, and actively explore ways to enhance international public health cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

Wang said that the two sides need to strengthen communication and coordination to further enhance outbreak responses, prevent cross-border spread, and earnestly safeguard public health security of the two countries and the region at large. The two countries also need to ensure the stability of the industrial and supply chains, and do their best to minimize the impact of the outbreak on bilateral practical cooperation. China and Japan are both major economies in the world. The normal economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, in itself, is an important contribution to the stable growth of world economy.

Motegi expressed sincere sympathies to China once again for the difficulties and losses caused by the outbreak. He hopes that with the hard work of the whole nation, the epidemic will be brought to an end soon. As China’s friendly neighbor, Japan will continue to offer maximum cooperation. Japan appreciates the medical supplies China has provided and agrees that the two countries need to join hands in upholding normal economic and trade cooperation, and ensure the stability of the global industrial and supply chains. Motegi briefed Wang on the epidemic situation in Japan. He noted that with sporadic cases confirmed in multiple places and small-scale transmission reported in some regions, Japan has not yet seen large-scale spread. The following two weeks will be critical to epidemic control. The Japanese government has laid out its response guidelines and will devise a well-conceived plan to stop the spread of the epidemic. He hopes that the two countries will continue to share information and step up communication and cooperation on COVID-19.

Wang expressed appreciation to Japan for extending the sympathies. He said that as neighbors, China and Japan have every reason to help each other. He believes that Japan has the capability and conditions to bring the epidemic under effective control and wishes that the Tokyo Olympic Games be successfully held as scheduled.