国际英语新闻:Participants at Munich forum hail China's efforts in COVID-19 fight

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Participants at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) have spoken highly of China's efforts in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), expressing confidence in its capability to overcome the epidemic while appealing for more international support to China.

Jeremy Farrer, director of the Wellcome Trust, a research charity based in London, said that China's timely response and its efforts against the epidemic since the outbreak have been buying precious time for other countries to better put in place prevention methods of their own.

"In this sense, we owe China a huge amount," said Farrer, who also expressed his solidarity for the nurses and doctors on the frontlines of the fight in China.

"We don't know yet where this epidemic is going. But when you face uncertainty, that is really the time to come to rational thought ... the worst thing to do is to panic," Farrer added.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the Health Emergencies Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that people in China are trying to prevent and control the epidemic by adopting a number of different methods, including administering traditional Chinese medicine and anti-HIV medicine in treating confirmed patients.

Such efforts will provide a base of knowledge for other countries, said Ryan, noting that the Chinese government has taken swift and rigorous measures to combat the virus.

Ryan also called on the world to offer more support to China.

Stephen Morrison, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of its Global Health Policy Center, said China has been showing "very impressive mobilizations" since the outbreak of the epidemic.

The Chinese government at all levels has made the prevention and control of the epidemic its top priority, while both China and the WHO have made great efforts to contain the spread of the epidemic, Morrison added.

Dieter Kempf, president of the Federation of German Industries, told Xinhua that the strict measures taken by China to curb the spread of the virus are appropriate.

"I don't think there is any ground for oversized nervousness," said Kempf. "But there is enough reason to be careful."

Noting that China is a vital trading partner for Germany, Hans-Peter Friedrich, chairman of the China-Bridge and vice president of the German Bundestag, said that Germany understands China's strict measures to contain the virus and will provide assistance within its own capacity.

Michael Schumann, head of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, said the Chinese people are making great efforts to contain the virus from spreading to other parts of the world.

"China is worth our respect and support," Schumann said.