Xie Feng,  commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, speaks in Hong Kong on Feb 7, 2020. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Central government’s top diplomat in Hong Kong on Friday reassured the supply of necessities to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, and urged local people not to be misled by rumors. 

Xie Feng condemned rumors that have triggered panic buying of daily necessities, including rice and toilet paper rolls, in the past several days

At the question and answer session of a meeting with media and representatives of foreign consul generals and foreign organizations, Xie Feng, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, condemned rumors that have triggered panic buying of daily necessities, including rice and toilet paper rolls, in the past several days. 

Xie made the comments in response to a question raised by a representative from the Myanmar consulate in Hong Kong about the empty shelves in local supermarkets. 

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Xie refuted rumors that production of mainland factories was expected to be interrupted for months by the coronavirus outbreak. These rumors were “completely false,” he said. 

“The Chinese government and the SAR government will continue to ensure the supply of necessities in HK, which will include not only tissue papers, but also rice, drinking water, fruits, vegetables, meats, and so on,” Xie said.

He stressed that rumors were a dangerous virus, which would only harm efforts to control the epidemic. 

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The commissioner urged everyone to avoid overreaction and not to be misled by rumors, while trusting the professional advice of the World Health Organization and those that are based on scientific facts and evidences.