Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, who hailed China's support in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tedros arrived in China on Thursday for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. When meeting with Wang in Beijing, he said he was very glad to be one of the torchbearers during the pre-Games torch relay.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Olympic gathering brings unity, peace and hope for the world to endure difficulties, he added.

Tedros congratulated China on its remarkable work to control the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Chinese government and people in fighting the global pandemic.

He said the WHO hopes to strengthen global health cooperation with China and hopes the country can play an important role in helping reach the achievement of 70 percent coverage of COVID-19 vaccines in all countries.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the WHO, Wang said China has explored all-round and multi-level cooperation with the organization in various fields and actively supported the WHO in dealing with different health crises.

The Chinese government always puts people and their lives first, tries to help people in other countries, and vigorously promotes global solidarity against the pandemic, the foreign minister said.

China has overcome its own difficulties and provided over 2.1 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, he noted.

Wang also expressed readiness to further cooperate with the WHO to promote equitable access to vaccines, increase vaccination rates and defeat the pandemic as soon as possible.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, in Beijing, China, February 5, 2022. /China's Foreign Ministry)