Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 26, 2020. (HUANG JINGWEN / XINHUA)

China said on Wednesday that it has bought time and space for the world to respond to the novel coro­navirus pneumonia through curb­ing the spread of the epidemic at the first line of defense, and made contributions and sacrifices for global public health. 

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks at a joint news conference in Beijing with First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic, the first foreign minister to visit China since the outbreak of the virus. 

Wang said that the visit demon­strates the friendship between the peoples of Serbia and China, the unbreakable relations between the two nations, and their tradi­tion of mutual support at critical moments. 

Wang Yi said the global community should work together against the virus as it is a war with no national boundaries

China appreciates and will remember such actions, he said. 

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Wang added that China is fully confident of its ability to win the battle against the epidemic at an early date and achieve this year’s economic and social development goals. 

Prevention and control of the virus is currently at the most criti­cal stage, and many countries are facing the threat of the epidemic, Wang said, adding that the global community should work together against the virus as it is a war with no national boundaries. 

“China will not step back, nor will it only mind its own business,” Wang said. 

The country will advance inter­national and regional cooperation in fighting the epidemic, while con­tinuing its prevention and control at the domestic level, he said. 

China will continue to share information and its experiences, and coordinate policies as well as resources with other countries and the World Health Organization, he added. 

READ MORE: Wang Yi urges global teamwork amid fight against epidemic

Dacic said that Serbia will always stand with China, adding that the Chinese people are on the front line of the fight, which deserves the respect of all people in the world. Serbia condemns the politicized and excessive measures taken by some countries and has full confi­dence that China will completely overcome the epidemic at an early date, he added. 

The epidemic has not affected bilateral cooperation between Chi­na and Serbia, Dacic noted. 

According to Wang, the number of large­scale Sino­-Serbian projects rank among the top in Central and Eastern European countries. 

Flagship projects such as the Hungary­-Serbia Railway are of great significance for building the China-­Europe land-­sea express line and promoting China-­Europe con­nectivity, Wang said. 

China and Serbia will continue to promote China­-CEEC coopera­tion and deepen China­Europe relations, he said. 

China would like to enhance cooperation with Serbia to trans­late the advantages of bilateral trust into a driving force for the joint building of the Belt and Road, he added. 

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn