Nine Chinese medical experts and 31 tons of medical supplies arrived in Rome on Thursday night as part of China's efforts to help Italy contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Liang Zongan, a medical expert with Chinese medical team sent to Italy said the team will remodel ICU beds to treat critical patients as soon as possible. And for patients with mild symptoms, they will help build more mobile hospitals or open-space hospitals to receive and treat them, thus alleviating the problem of a shortage of beds for critical patients.

"In this moment of great stress, of great difficulty, we are relieved to have this arrival of supplies," Francesco Rocca, president of Italy's Red Cross said.

An Iranian official has also said China's experience in fighting the disease is proving helpful.

"We hope these kind of communications, sharing knowledge and experiences will continue in the future, not just on combating coronavirus, but also controlling possible outbreaks of other pandemics, as well as sharing experiences on crisis and natural disasters," Kianoush Jahanpour, an Iranian health ministry spokesman said.

The COVID-19 virus has spread across China over the past two months, but has finally been brought to a halt with only small numbers of new cases reported each day, which is the result of Chinese efforts including rigorous screening and quarantine as well as its efficiency in setting up temporary hospitals.

Chinese officials say their experience in winning the battle against the virus was gained through hard lessons as the virus is new to humans. It's also important for China to share information with the rest of the world to further contain the coronavirus.

China and South Korea have built a information sharing mechanism, in which the two sides hold regular video conferences on controlling the disease, which exemplified national cooperation.

However, there are still many uncertainties globally as the virus has become rampant across the world. The U.S. is among the badly-hit countries, but the information disclosed by the U.S. seems not reflecting the real situation in the country.

"The COVID-19 has caused a death rate of nearly three percent in the U.S., which could suggest many cases remain undetected yet. Because the death rate in China isn't that high except Wuhan," Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese epidemiologist said.

The Chinese government has emphasized the importance of international cooperation facing such a global challenge, with Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai saying that "The virus outbreak has reflected that we human beings should strengthen our understanding of a shared future, to face these challenges in a spirit of true solidarity."

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The UN also said that no country can do it alone and governments should work together to revitalize economies, expand public investment and ensure support for the most vulnerable.