Coronavirus top of agenda as China’s Foreign Minister heads to Germany for security forum

Wang Yi is expected to speak about Beijing’s efforts and international cooperation on the outbreak at Munich conference

He will also meet his German counterpart in Berlin to discuss bilateral relations and issues such as free trade

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Foreign Minister Wang Yi is heading to Germany, the first overseas trip by a senior Chinese official since the outbreak began. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:30pm, 12 Feb 2020Updated: 2:01pm, 13 Feb 2020

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Germany for a key security forum this week, the first overseas trip by a senior Chinese official since the outbreak of the new coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands and locked down millions across the country.

Wang is slated to deliver the keynote address at the annual Munich Security Conference from Thursday to Saturday. He is expected to speak about Beijing’s efforts to combat the virus, which causes the disease now officially known as Covid-19, and international cooperation on the issue.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters through social media app WeChat – a special briefing arrangement as part of measures to curb contagion by avoiding group gatherings – that Wang’s speech would allow China to “get deeper understanding and broader support from the international community”.

World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who will also attend the forum, called on countries to take stronger measures on Tuesday to contain the pneumonia-like illness, which he termed “public enemy number one”. The outbreak that started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December has so far killed more than 1,100 people and infected over 44,000 in mainland China, and has spread to two dozen other countries.

Wang’s diplomatic trip comes at a difficult time for China, as Beijing struggles to contain the outbreak with unprecedented travel restrictions and hospitals reporting shortages of medical staff and resources.

Analysts have said the public health crisis presents a significant political challenge for President Xi Jinping, who said earlier in the week that the “grim” fight against the virus had revealed shortcomings in the country’s system, with likely implications for China’s economic growth and diplomatic work.