China’s Xi dials Trump to discuss coronavirus outbreak

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping dialed his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to discuss the fatal coronavirus outbreak, according to Chinese media.

Xi spoke to Trump early Friday morning urging the U.S. “to respond reasonably to the novel coronavirus outbreak”, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus outbreak -- which originated in central Wuhan city in December last year -- has climbed to 636.

Nearly 31,161 confirmed cases have been reported so far and 73 people have died in the last 24 hours. One person died in the Philippines last Sunday.

Xi told his U.S. counterpart that China's prevention and control efforts “are gradually yielding positive results”.

“China hopes that the U.S. will assess the epidemic in a calm manner, and adopt and adjust its response measures in a reasonable way,” Xi said urging communication and coordination between the two countries to “contain the epidemic”.

The phone call between two leaders of world’s top economies came after Chinese Foreign Ministry recently criticized Washington for “spreading panic and fear about the outbreak of the new disease”.

China had complained that the U.S. did not help the country fight the virus.

A day before, Xi spoke to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz about China's efforts to combat and control the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The virus is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.

It has raised alarm worldwide.

Besides China, the virus has spread to more than 20 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

Many countries have evacuated their citizens from the city of Wuhan -- the epicenter of the virus -- and other affected areas of China, placing them in isolated medical care.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international emergency.