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Coronavirus: US ambassador to China appeals for Beijing, Washington to work together
- ‘No one country can fight this battle alone,’ envoy Terry Branstad says in open letter
- Covid-19 is the ‘common enemy’ that threatens the lives of everyone, he says
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The United States’ ambassador to China has appealed for the two countries to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus, and called for the supply of Chinese medical supplies to the US to be accelerated.
In an open letter titled “Move Forward Together” published on Friday, Terry Branstad said he had spoken to China’s vice-minister for foreign affairs Zheng Zeguang about the matter over the past week.
The exchange came after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in a telephone call last week to work together to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“I underscored that now is the time to look forward,” Branstad wrote in the article, which was published on the website of the US embassy in China.
He also expressed his appreciation for China’s efforts to expedite the supply of much-needed medical supplies.
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The US embassy in Beijing was “working closely with Chinese government officials” to facilitate the shipment of vital personal protection gear from China to the US, he said.
“No one country can fight this battle alone.”
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