
China and the United States should "unite to fight" the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the globe, said President Xi Jinping in a call with his US counterpart on Friday, according to state media.
The two countries have clashed in recent weeks over the virus, but Xi told Trump China "wishes to continue sharing all information and experience with theUS," as per media reports.
Trump also tweeted about the conversation, saying he and Xi were "working closely together."
"China has been through much and has developed a strong understanding of the virus," he said,notably omitting the term "China virus," which he has used several times in the past week.
Earlier at a press conference, Trumphad mentionedhe was due to speak with Xi, but took a more cautious tone. “Number one, you don’t know what the numbers are in China,” he said of the case numbers, which have dropped dramatically in the past few weeks.
Cases of infections of the deadly coronavirus surpassed 530,000 worldwide on Friday and global deaths rose past 24,000, as COVID-19 spreads across Europe and North America.
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COVID-19 has now infected more than 350,536 people, according to Johns Hopkins University, and killed at least 15,328 people. Around 122,203 people of that tally have recovered, according to Hopkins.
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According to the news reports, The United States has taken the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections and reported a record surge in unemployment.
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In the United States, more than 83,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, edging out Italy, which has reported the most deaths, and China, where the virus was first detected in December in the metropolis of Wuhan.