China calls for united efforts in tackling the novel coronavirus outbreak to prevent the epidemic from spreading further, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said on Friday.

The remarks come hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the novel coronavirus outbreak has become a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Most pressing task

Zhang stressed that fighting against the outbreak is the most important and pressing task for the Chinese government, noting that China always holds an open, transparent and responsible attitude towards international cooperation on epidemic prevention.

He called for consolidated efforts from the international community amid the outbreak, reiterating Ghebreyesus's statement which highlighted the necessity to enhance response for countries with fragile health systems as the main reason behind the PHEIC declaration.

The WHO has full confidence in China's capability to combat the virus, the ambassador said, citing Ghebreyesus' remarks, emphasizing there is no reason to impose unnecessary restrictions on international travel and trade.

Acknowledging the outbreak in China, Zhang urged all countries to make joint efforts in tackling the situation with a responsible attitude to prevent further impact as a result of overreaction amid misinformation and rumors. 

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun (L) talks to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, January 30, 2020. /CGTN Photo

WHO: 'China is setting a new standard for outbreak response'

Speaking at a press conference after a closed-door meeting of the Emergency Committee, he stressed that the WHO discourages or even opposes restrictions of travel and trade.

Under the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO director-general has the authority to determine that an outbreak constitutes a PHEIC when certain conditions are met. The designation is aimed at mobilizing more international resources to deal with the epidemic.

Since the IHR entered into force in 2007, the WHO has made multiple PHEIC declarations.

Ghebreyesus noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping personally commands and deploys the prevention and containment efforts.

"The speed with which China detected the outbreak, isolated the virus, sequenced the genome and shared it with WHO and the world are very impressive, and beyond words. So is China's commitment to transparency and to supporting other countries," he said.

"In many ways, China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response," he added.

That reflects not only China's high sense of responsibility for the lives and health of its own people but also its strong support for global disease prevention and control, he said.