China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang reiterated on Tuesday's press conference that China has always been transparent and responsible on issues of COVID-19 and has always been active to promote global cooperation against the pandemic.

He made the remarks in response to comments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, who said China should be as transparent as possible about the coronavirus outbreak.

Geng added that China and Germany have also maintained close communication about prevention and control work against the virus, sharing information and experiences with each other.

As for the origin of the virus mentioned by Merkel, Geng said that China has emphasized many times that this is a scientific problem that should be studied by scientists and professionals.