Xi offers help to Italy, Iran, S. Korea over COVID-19 outbreak
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered help to Italy, Iran and South Korea on Saturday as the three countries fight the coronavirus pandemic which was first diagnosed in China's Wuhan.
In separate letters to the states' presidents, he told Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, that China supports their fight against the virus and is willing to increase cooperation over the outbreak. Xi went on to offer China's condolences to the three countries.
Earlier, Xi said the peak of the outbreak passed in China, but Chinese authorities pointed out on Friday that the number of imported coronavirus cases to mainland China was higher than newly transmitted cases within the country for the first time. The offer also comes after China already sent experts to Italy where more than 17,600 cases have been recorded.