Chinese FM says to bring home stranded Hubei residents from overseas

Beijing: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that China will send chartered planes to take home Hubei residents stranded overseas following a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, China Economic Net reported.

Champagne, on behalf of the Canadian government and people, expressed sympathy to the Chinese people affected by the epidemic.

Canada highly appreciates China’s strong measures as well as its open and transparent manner to prevent and control the outbreak, and has full confidence in China’s capability in dealing with the epidemic, he said.

Underlining the tradition of mutual help between the two countries, Champagne said Canada stands ready to offer assistance to China and believes that China will eventually win the battle against the epidemic.

For his part, Wang said the Chinese government and people are sparing no efforts in containing the outbreak, with gradual progress at various fronts.

He said that China is confident, capable and sure of eventually winning the battle against the epidemic.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly given important instructions to prioritise the safety and health of the people, Wang said.

The Chinese government has decided to dispatch chartered flights to take home citizens stranded overseas, especially those from the city of Wuhan, he said, adding that the action fully reflects the responsible attitude of the Chinese government in eliminating difficulties for its people.

China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the international community, including Canada, to jointly deal with the epidemic and safeguard global public health security, he said.

When presenting its evaluation of the epidemic development, the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Thursday that it disapproves of and even opposes any travel or trade restrictions on China and that it has confidence in China’s eventual win against the virus, Wang said.

He voiced the hope that Canada will respect the specific proposal of the WHO in an objective and fair manner, so as to ensure that personnel and trade exchanges between China and Canada not be interrupted.