Ma Xiaowei, minister of China's National Health Commission, spoke by phone with European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides on June 19 to exchange views on the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control and future cooperation between China and the European Union (EU).

Ma introduced China's progress in pandemic prevention and control and international cooperation. He stressed that China and the EU have long maintained multi-field, multi-channel and all-round cooperation in the health field.

Ma said he hopes the two sides will continue multilateral and bilateral collaboration, enhance COVID-19 information communication and coordinate actions, deepen technological exchanges and experience sharing so as to jointly safeguard people's health and global health security and build a global public health community.

Kyriakides spoke highly of the active communication and collaboration between China and the EU in the response to the pandemic, and expressed willingness to continue to strengthen cooperation with China in combating the virus and expanding and deepening bilateral and global health cooperation.