BEIJING — The Chinese side is working hard to facilitate the commercial procurement of medical supplies in China for other countries while meeting domestic needs, a spokesperson said on March 25.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing that China has always maintained that the international community should jointly uphold an open world economy and the stability of global supply and industrial chains.

Geng said since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese side has not adopted any restrictions on foreign trade, and has encouraged enterprises to orderly expand exports.

Purchasers from various countries, including Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Czech, Djibouti, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Qatar, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom, have signed contracts with Chinese companies, purchasing test kits, masks, protective suits and glasses, etc., said Geng.

According to Geng, China also actively provided protective materials to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support other countries in fighting the epidemic, and Chinese companies have already signed the first batch of supply contracts with the WHO.

Chinese companies' resumption of production and recovery of China's economic and social development will continue to provide strong support for the international community in the face of the epidemic, Geng said.

"I believe that strengthening cooperation, reducing barriers and facilitating trade are in line with the common interest of the international community," Geng said.