Chinese President Xi Jinping appreciated the help and support of Ethiopia during the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in his phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Tuesday.

President Xi appreciated the fact that Ethiopia has maintained normal contact and exchanges with China in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO.

African countries are facing challenges in prevention and control of the virus, and China is willing to provide medical supplies to them, said Xi, noting that China will implement the initiative on healthcare with African countries, one of the eight major initiatives proposed at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit 2018.

China will promote the establishment of the center for disease control and prevention in Africa and strengthen cooperation with African countries in this area, Xi said.

Xi stressed that the fight against the epidemic is the top priority of the Chinese government and China has taken the most comprehensive and thorough measures to stem its spread, which has achieved effective outcomes.

The two countries will work together to advance China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation with new developments, Xi added.

The epidemic will not shake the solid foundation of China's long-term stable development, Xi said, adding that China is confident about winning the battle and achieving social and economic development goals as planned.

Abiy Ahmed Ali said that China has made great contributions to effectively preventing and controlling the spread of the epidemic in China and around the world.

Ethiopia is proud of what China has done and believes that the country will win the battle, he said, adding that his country will further cooperate with China in various areas and achieve greater progress in Ethiopia-China relations, as well as China-Africa ties.