Coronavirus: The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490
China on Monday hoped that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province.
In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said China's foreign ministry and local governments are working hard to ensure the safety of Indians and people working in Indian diplomatic missions in China.
Admitting that there could be a short-term impact of the epidemic on China's economy, he said the country's internal resilience is growing and it has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility.
"I am confident that it should not and will not be hindered by short-term difficulties. We should not suspend but expand the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries," he said.
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province, India has put restrictions on the movement of people to and from China, like many other countries, as part of precautionary measures to contain spread of the virus.
The death toll in China because of the virus has gone up to 490 while the number of confirmed cases has touched 24,300.
The WHO has declared a global health emergency after coronavirus cases were reported in several parts of the globe.
"We hope that the Indian citizens will not overreact or panic over the outbreak. It is better to remain rational and calm, and judge China's prevention and control efforts with objectivity and compassion," the envoy said.
He said China, a "responsible" country, is not only protecting the health of its people but also that of people around the world.
"We need your understanding and support for the cooperation between China and India in epidemic control to ensure normal personnel exchanges and trade between the two countries," he said.
"China is ready to continue to work with India, strengthen communication and coordination, and safeguard the health and safety of Indian citizens in China," he added.
On the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on China's economy, Sun said there was no need to be pessimistic about the country''s economy as its fundamentals remain unchanged.