VIENTIANE — China and Thailand pledged on Feb 19 to cooperate in their joint fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai ahead of a special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19 on Feb 20.

Wang said since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Thai royal family, the Thai government and the Thai society have extended a helping hand to China, reflecting the friendship between the Thai and Chinese peoples.

"In particular, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha posted a video clip showing his support to people in Central China's Wuhan," he noted, adding that China appreciated the reasonable and appropriate measures taken by Thailand in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak suggested by the World Health Organization.

At the crucial juncture of China's fight against the epidemic, both countries supported the special China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19, demonstrating their solidarity and determination to battle the epidemic and tide over the difficult times, Wang said.

He believed that the foreign ministers' meeting will be a success for contributions to the regional public health.

For his part, Don said he first wanted to say "Stay strong Wuhan!" Thailand and China have been understanding and supporting each other in jointly fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic, he noted.

The special foreign ministers' meeting on COVID-19 is the first multilateral event on public health since the outbreak of the epidemic, said the Thai minister.

He said China has achieved progress in combating the outbreak and the patients in Thailand are also recovering.

Noting that the epidemic is a common challenge for the region, Don believed that the meeting on the next day will help cement solidarity and cooperation between ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China, and contribute to the cause of regional and global public health.