BEIJING — China stands ready to boost international cooperation against the novel coronavirus epidemic, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Feb 1 in a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

Maas expressed support for China's battle against the spread of the novel coronavirus, saying that the open, transparent and cooperative attitude and the forceful and effective measures the Chinese government has adopted are admirable.

The German side has provided China with a certain amount of urgently needed medical supplies and stands ready to offer more assistance in line with China's needs, he added.

Wang thanked Germany for the help, and briefed Maas about the latest progress in China's prevention and containment efforts.

He stressed that the Chinese government not only keeps the Chinese people's safety and health in mind, but is doing its best to safeguard global public health security.

The health and lives of German nationals in China are secure, he pointed out, adding that China has confidence and ability to prevail over the epidemic, and is willing to step up cooperation with Germany and other members of the international community.

China, he said, hopes that Germany will look at the epidemic and China's prevention and containment efforts in an objective and reasonable manner, take the World Health Organization's authoritative advice seriously, and help ensure that normal bilateral exchanges will not be disrupted.

Maas said the German side will continue to maintain communication with China and jointly deal with the epidemic.