Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong speaks at a welcome reception in his honor in New Delhi, India, Sept. 3, 2019. (ZHANG NAIJIE / XINHUA)

NEW DELHI - Bilateral exchanges between India and China will not be affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong has said.

"I think the difficulties are temporary and will be overcome," Sun told a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"I believe bilateral exchanges will not be blocked by the virus and China-India relations (will) not be affected by the epidemic," he said.

We are grateful that (Indian) Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi sent a letter to (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and assured readiness to stand by China and provide the assistance that India can to face this challenge

Sun Weidong, Chinese Ambassador to India

The envoy briefed the media on China's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic.

"We are grateful that (Indian) Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi sent a letter to (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and assured readiness to stand by China and provide the assistance that India can to face this challenge," he noted.

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The acts of goodwill fully demonstrate Indian people's friendship with Chinese people, the ambassador said.

"We need to maintain high-level exchanges, hold institutional meetings and a series of celebratory activities, expand personnel exchanges and trade, and scale the bilateral relations to a new height," he said.

The ongoing year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Beijing, and both countries have earmarked 70 different programs to celebrate the bond between them.

The ambassador said that China and India are the world's only two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, and that there is huge potential for the two countries to collaborate in areas of science and public health.

Sun said China provided all the necessary assistance and convenience to the Indian citizens in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, in getting them back to India.

Modi expressed his appreciation for China's support in his letter to Xi, Sun said, adding "We attach great importance to the health and safety of foreign nationals in China, and will take good care of the Indian citizens in China like our own."

So far there was no report of infection among the Indian citizens in China, he added.

Sun said countries need to adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and review their visa and travel advisories.

"The WHO has not recommended but opposed any travel and trade restrictions. We should follow the WHO's professional advice and refrain from overreaction," he said.

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The envoy called for cooperation, mutual understanding and solidarity to jointly overcome the difficulties, voicing full confidence that with joint efforts of the Chinese people and the international community, "we will win this battle against the epidemic."

Downward pressure on China's economy will increase because of the epidemic and will have some impact on the global economy, but China is resuming productions while fighting the epidemic, Sun said.

"It is a short-term impact but in the long run, while the epidemic is contained, China's economy will be back on track and its impact on the global economy will be gradually mitigated," he said.

"The Chinese government is taking various measures to restore and resume the production and operation of enterprises. The supplies will gradually return to normal," he said. "The earlier we win this battle, the earlier the supply chain will be resumed."