President Xi Jinping Makes Statement at the Virtual Event of the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly

On the evening of May 18， President Xi Jinping delivered a speech titled “Fighting COVID-19 Through Solidarity and Cooperation， Building a Global Community of Health for All” at the virtual event of the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly.

President Xi noted that in fighting against COVID-19， China has been putting the people first. All along， China has acted with openness， transparency， and responsibility.

Xi pointed out that there should be greater support for Africa， and more efforts to strengthen global governance in the area of public health， restore economic and social development， and enhance international cooperation. On behalf of China， he announced five measures to boost international cooperation against COVID-19 and called on all parties to come together and work as one to build a global community of health for all：

China will provide US $2 billion over two years to help with the COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries， especially developing countries. China will work with the UN to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China， ensure the operation of anti-epidemic supply chains， and foster“green corridors” for fast-track transportation and customs clearance. China will establish a cooperation mechanism for its hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals and accelerate the building of the Africa CDC headquarters to help the continent ramp up its disease preparedness and control capacity. COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China， when available， will be made a global public good. China will also work with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries.

In their statements， the UN Secretary General and other world leaders all expressed their support for multilateralism， for the WHO， and for greater international coordination and cooperation to fight the disease.

President Xi Speaks by Phone with Russian President Putin

On the evening of May 8， President Xi Jinping spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on the phone.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people， Xi extended warm congratulations to Putin and the Russian people on the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War， which falls on May 9.

Xi stressed that China and Russia， as the main theaters in Asia and Europe during World War II， made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contributions towards its final victory. The great friendship forged between the Chinese and Russian people in this joint endeavor represents an inexhaustible source of strong impetus for China-Russia relations.

Noting the present global fight against COVID-19， Xi highlighted Russias progress in its response efforts under the leadership of President Putin. He expressed Chinas readiness to provide continued， strong support to Russia.

Putin indicated that Russia would strengthen its comprehensive strategic coordination with China at this historical moment to demonstrate its resolve to uphold world peace together and prevent anyone from saying or doing anything to tamper with or dismiss history. Thanking China for the humanitarian assistance and medical supplies， Putin said that Russia would learn from Chinas experience and work with China on vaccine research and development. Russia opposes finger-pointing at China by a handful of people under the pretext of the virus and will stand firmly with China in this regard.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Attends Video Conference of SCO Foreign Ministers

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a video conference of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization（SCO） in Beijing on May 13. The conference was chaired by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia， SCO chair for the year 2020. Foreign ministers of SCO member states， the SCO Secretary-General and Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure attended the meeting.

Wang noted that the raging COVID-19 infections worldwide put the global economy under mounting recessional pressure. The SCO needs to continue championing the Shanghai Spirit and the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the effort to win the battle against the virus and get the economic and social development back on track in the region and beyond. Wang then put forward a fourpronged proposal， emphasizing solidarity and coordination in the fight against COVID-19， security cooperation in jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability， mutual beneficial cooperation in pursuit of common development， promoting multilateralism， and improving the international system.