Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone on Wednesday. The two sides agreed to maintain cooperation and coordination over the battle against the novel coronavirus.

Yang told Pompeo that China has established a joint prevention and control mechanism with multi sectors' participation, and have taken resolute and effective measures in Wuhan and other parts of the country to fully curb the spread of the epidemic.

We have full confidence and capability to win the battle of prevention and control against the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, he added.

Yang noted, since the epidemic outbreak, China has released information in an open and transparent manner to the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. and other relevant countries and regions, and shared the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus in a timely manner.

We also invited experts from the WHO and China's Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions to Wuhan for first-hand information, he said.

Yang also said the Chinese side will continue to protect the health and safety of all foreigners in China, including those from the U.S.

Pompeo expresses sympathy for the deaths and injuries caused by the novel coronavirus and speaks highly of the Chinese government's timely response to the concerns of the U.S. after the outbreak of the epidemic.

The U.S. side is willing to continue to maintain close communication and coordination with China and provide necessary assistance to jointly address this international health and safety challenge, he added.