China welcomes the assistance of the international community, including the United States, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on Wednesday.

Geng made the remarks when answering a question about the U.S.'s assistance to China for the country's fight against the novel coronavirus.

Relative organizations coordinated by U.S. State Department provided 16 tons of materials to China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, including masks, protective clothing and oxygen generators, Geng told reporters.

On February 7, the U.S. Department of State announced it was prepared to spend up to 100 million U.S. dollars in existing funds to assist China and other impacted countries, both directly and through multilateral organizations, to contain and combat the novel coronavirus.

Talking about the U.S. announcement, Geng said he hopes the assistance can play a role in the fight soon.