CHINA VOWS COORDINATION AS VIRUS GROWS

China vowed on Friday to work with the international community to uphold regional and international health security, and reiterated it has the confidence and capability to win the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic, which has claimed 213 lives throughout the country as of Thursday.

The pledge came as the World Health Organization declared on Thursday that the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, following an emergency meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus rose to 9,692 on the Chinese mainland as of Thursday, among which, Hubei province — the epicenter of the outbreak — reported 5,806 confirmed infections. The Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions as well as Taiwan reported 28 confirmed cases of the disease as of Thursday. The virus has also spread to several other Asian nations and reached Australia and Europe as well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States said Thursday that an Illinois woman who recently returned from China had transmitted the coronavirus to her husband — the first known case of persontoperson spread of the pathogen in the US.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in an online statement on Friday that since the outbreak, China has been in close communication and cooperation with the WHO. "China will continue working with the WHO and other countries to safeguard regional and global public health security," Hua said.

Saying the Chinese government has been taking the most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and control measures for people's health and safety, Hua added that many of the measures go well beyond the requirements of the International Health Regulations.

"We have full confidence and capability to win this fight against the epidemic," she said.

Also on Friday, the National Health Commission called on the international community to understand and support China's efforts in preventing and controlling the epidemic.

The commission hopes countries from around the world will work with China to jointly prevent and contain the disease in line with the International Health Regulations as well as the recommendations of the WHO in order to safeguard regional and global public health security, according to a statement issued by the commission on its website.

WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who recently wrapped up his visit to China, said the declaration was not a vote of no confidence in China. Rather it is necessary because humantohuman infections have been confirmed in other countries.

"As I have said repeatedly since my return from Beijing, the Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken to control the outbreak, despite the severe social and economic impact those measures are having on the Chinese people," Tedros said at a news conference after a closeddoor meeting of the Emergency Committee.

Tedros said that the WHO does not recommend limiting trade and movement and opposes any travel restrictions against China.

"We would have seen many more cases outside China by now, and probably deaths, if it were not for the government's efforts and the progress they have made to protect their own people and the people of the world," Tedros said.

"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 supporting other countries. In many ways, China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response, and this is not an exaggeration," he added.

During a telephone conversation with Canadian Foreign Minister FrancoisPhilippe Champagne on Friday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope that Ottawa will respect the recommendations of the WHO in an objective and fair manner to ensure trade exchanges and travel of people between China and Canada will not be influenced.

Champagne said Canada highly appreciates China's strong measures and the open and transparent manner it has conducted itself in prevention and control of the contagion and is also fully confident of its capability in dealing with the epidemic.

China's top envoy to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, called on the international community to exhibit "solidarity" in dealing with the outbreak. Addressing a news gathering at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday, Zhang said the WHO recommendations "should be seriously considered" and "there is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade".

He called for all countries to adopt a responsible attitude, work together to combat the virus and avoid overreacting.

INVESTORS 'SHOULD NOT PANIC OVER EPIDEMIC'

A calm and objective attitude is not only vital in combating the novel coronavirus in China but crucial when predicting its possible impact on the Chinese A-share market, the country's regulators and industry experts said.

The Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses announced on Monday that the first trading day after the extended Chinese Lunar New Year holiday has been postponed to Feb 3.

In an announcement released on Tuesday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission suggested the use of off-site trading to prevent the spread of the disease.

More importantly, the CSRC stressed that financial institutions should guide investors to rationally and objectively analyze the impact of the disease while sticking to the principles of long-term and value investing.

The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong sank nearly 1600 points in three days after it resumed trading on Wednesday after Spring Festival.

But Japan's Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.99 percent by the close on Friday and the three major benchmarks in the United States−the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq−all ticked up on Thursday.

Yang Delong, chief economist at Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund, said all the negative impact will be released at once when the A-share market resumes trading after the holiday. The Shanghai and Shenzhen indexes will make adjustments gradually, he said.

"But when prices of companies stop declining and start to rebound, it is a clear sign of bottoming out. As long as these companies are healthy at the financial and operational levels, investors can feel confident to hold a long position on them. In the long run, China's A-share market will pick up slowly but the bullish performance can be expected for about 10 years," he said.

The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan bears much resemblance to the situation during the outbreak of SARS in March and April 2003, experts from Swiss lender UBS said.

It is reasonable that investors are worried about the impact of the disease in the short term, and the benchmark indexes in Shanghai and Shenzhen are likely to drop after the holiday.

Listed hotels, retailers, theme parks and cinemas, which usually benefit from the Spring Festival holiday period, will be significantly impacted in the short term.

But sectors such as food retailers, online streaming, gaming and e-commerce will benefit as people remain indoors. Although there will be no effective drugs or vaccines to cure or prevent the virus in the short term, the demand for vaccines and physical examinations will increase.

Just as importantly, central regulators may introduce easing policies to offset the negative impact of the virus on consumption, UBS said.

PAKISTAN AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR CHINA IN FIGHT AGAINST VIRUS

Pakistan said on Friday it believes China has the ability to safeguard the safety and health of foreign personnel in its territory, and the Pakistani people will stand with the Chinese people during this difficult time.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi regarding the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia in China.

Noting the international community has lauded the measures taken by China to prevent and control the epidemic, Qureshi said Pakistan firmly opposes some forces creating fear and panic.

Pakistan firmly supports China’s efforts to contain the epidemic and is willing to provide assistance for China to fight the virus, he said, adding it will send aid to China with military aircraft in the near future.

Expressing his gratitude to China for taking care of Pakistani people in China as its own, he said Pakistan believes the Chinese people will definitely win the battle against the epidemic.

Wang noted there are nearly a thousand Pakistani citizens in Wuhan, and the Pakistani government has stated it has no intention to hastily evacuate them, which reflected its trust in the Chinese government.

China will continue to safeguard the safety and health of Pakistani people and provide them with all necessary assistance, Wang said.

The World Health Organization has emphasized China's measures to prevent and control the epidemic were timely and effective and has called for no restrictions on China's trade and travel, Wang said.

However, he said, there are certain people who are anxious to instigate and see chaos. After the WHO gave professional advice, certain countries announced comprehensive travel bans on China, which takes advantages of others’　difficulties and is undesirable in international exchanges, he added.

BEIJING CRITICIZES THE US FOR TRAVEL ADVISORY

Beijing on Friday criticized Washington's decision to raise travel advisory on China to the highest grade of warning despite the World Health Organization's opposition of travel restrictions against China.

The foreign ministry said that the US travel alert levels were not a "gesture of goodwill," as they came despite the World Health Organization opposing travel restrictions to China being put in place.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday in an online statement: "Just as the WHO recommended against travel restrictions, the United States rushed to go in the opposite way. Certainly, it's not a gesture of goodwill."

Hua also criticized remarks allegedly made by some US officials about China.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was reported to have said the virus could help bring jobs back to the US while others, in a veiled attack, accused China of being reluctant to cooperate with the US.

The spokesperson added that Chinese people are going all out to fight against the pneumonia outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus and many countries have offered support.

"In sharp contrast, certain US officials' words and actions are neither factual nor appropriate," Hua said.

She added that the Chinese nation is known for its perseverance and resilience. China has confidence that with the resolute leadership of the Communist Party of China, it will definitely win the battle against the outbreak and overcome any difficulty lying ahead to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

CHARTERED PLANES BRING BACK STRANDED TRAVELERS OVERSEAS

The first batch of charter flights sent by the Chinese government Friday evening brought back 199 stranded Hubei residents from overseas following the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The two charter flights operated by Xiamen Airlines departed from Thailand's Bangkok and Malaysia's Kota Kinabalu and arrived at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 8:53 pm and 10:32 pm respectively.

Passengers on board were tested if they had a fever. Those with the symptoms of fever will be quarantined immediately.

Gao Huilin, one of the passengers, was travelling in Malaysia and had been stranded there as the flight back to Wuhan was canceled on Jan. 27 amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Gao said the flight bringing them home made careful preparations including checking the passengers' temperature before boarding the plane, and safety precaution to reduce the risk of infection.

"I'm grateful to our country, which leaves no one behind," Gao said.

WORKERS RACE AGAINST TIME TO BUILD 'HIGH-SPEED' HOSPITALS

A livestream shows trucks, earthmoving equipment and building work in full swing at the construction site of two special hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The footage illustrates how the two facilities are starting to take shape after just a few days of construction work.

On Jan 24, the Wuhan government announced it would build a 1,000-bed infirmary, named Huoshenshan, or "Fire God Mountain", Hospital, to treat people diagnosed with the virus. The first building of the complex, which will eventually cover 25,000 square meters, was completed in just 16 hours.

The city also announced construction of a 1,500-bed facility−Leishenshan, or "Thunder God Mountain", Hospital−to ease the shortage of beds for coronavirus patients.

Huoshenshan is scheduled to come into operation on Monday and Leishenshan will follow three days later.

As workers rushed to build the units at "Chinese speed", medical professionals and designers said they would ensure the facilities were safe and reliable, despite the race against time.

In 2003, as head of Beijing's Xiaotangshan Hospital, Zhang Yanling saw an emergency facility built from scratch in just seven days to help contain an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in the capital.

Last week, the 68-year-old traveled to Wuhan as an advisor on the construction of the two prefabricated hospitals.

"The new facilities have better designs and higher standards than Xiaotangshan Hospital," he told China National Radio.

"They will play a significant role in fighting the coronavirus," he said in the interview, adding that the new facilities will be professional hospitals for infectious diseases, rather than simply units to receive and quarantine patients. "They have to meet the highest standards."

Peng Guanping, technical director of the sewage disposal systems for the new hospitals, said, "As the disease is highly infectious, our standards are even higher than usual."

He noted that while the normal time for sterilization of medical wastewater is 90 minutes, the new hospitals' disposal systems will allow five hours.

Those standards will not only apply to medical wastewater, as an impermeable membrane will ensure that even rainwater washing through the facilities will be treated.

"Every single drop of water discharged from the two hospitals will be sterilized to make sure it won't cause new infections," Peng said.

Having gained great experience of medical wastewater disposal during more than 10 years in the field, he said the Wuhan project is the biggest challenge of his career. That's because disposal systems on this scale normally take at least 60 days to complete, but this time the work will have to be finished within 10 days.

"As we are facing a totally new virus, we have to be careful and we have to come up with our best plan," he said.

The National Development and Reform Commission has allocated a special grant of 300 million yuan ($43 million) for the two facilities, according to a notice posted on its website on Monday.

During a visit to the Huoshenshan Hospital site on Monday, Premier Li Keqiang−who is head of the leading group of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on prevention and control of the coronavirus−called for construction to be accelerated.

Since the first case was reported late last year, the coronavirus has spread much faster than expected. On the Chinese mainland, the number of confirmed cases climbed from 571 to 9,692 from Jan 23 to Thursday, meaning there are more coronavirus cases than there were SARS cases during the 2003 outbreak, which resulted in 774 deaths in 17 countries.

The technical drawings for the two new Wuhan hospitals were drawn up in just 60 hours by a team of 60 designers, including experts who worked on Xiaotangshan Hospital. Every piece of work in the project is counted in hours, not days.

Xia Ping, general director of construction for both hospitals, said that despite the time constraints, every effort is being made to ensure construction quality.

"We have hundreds of quality inspectors to check every building frame, every welding point," Xia said.

Xiang Hui, director of construction at Leishenshan Hospital, said the facility has been designed to protect both the medical professionals who will work in it and local residents.

"It is a temporary emergency facility, but it has to meet the standards for a permanent hospital," Xiang said."It can't be a source of infection."

He added that the builders are racing against time, but they are not neglecting crucial details, such as cleaning and sterilization work.