President Xi Jinping spoke with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the phone on the afternoon of 18 February.

President Xi thanked Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Johnson for their sympathies over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. He pointed out that the UK's donation of medical provisions to China is a testament to the friendship between the two nations and peoples.

President Xi stressed that since the outbreak, China has put people's life and health first, fully leveraged the strengths of the Chinese system, and rallied the whole nation to fight the epidemic with the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures. Such efforts have produced notable results and achieved a positive turn in the situation. Now the fight against the epidemic is at a crucial stage. While making resolute efforts to contain the outbreak, China is also working to minimize its impact. With a resilient economy, robust domestic demand and a strong industrial base,we are confident that we can and we will meet this year's economic and social development goals, in particular the key tasks of securing a decisive victory in establishing a moderately prosperous society in all respects and in eliminating absolute poverty in China.

Xi noted that guided by the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China is acting with a sense of responsibility not only for the life and health of its own people, but also for global public health. China's tremendous efforts have effectively curbed the spread of the epidemic to other parts of the world. China will continue to cooperate with the UK and the rest of the international community in a spirit of openness and transparency.

Prime Minister Johnson extended, on behalf of the UK government and people, sympathies to the Chinese government and people over the COVID-19 outbreak, and highly commended China's comprehensive and effective efforts to respond to the outbreak, share timely information with the world and curb the spread of the virus globally. He expressed the UK's admiration for China's swiftness and efficiency in its epidemic response as well as the UK's readiness to provide continued support and assistance. He expressed the confidence that under the leadership of President Xi, the Chinese people will win the battle against the outbreak and minimize its impact on China's economic and social development.