President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 on March 26, 2020. On March 25, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu gave an interview to People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV and China Daily, introducing the summit's background and the Chinese sides' expectation.

Ma Zhaoxu said, the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 will be held on March 26, and President Xi Jinping will attend the summit. G20 members, guest countries and leaders of relevant international organizations will be present. This will be the first summit via video in the history of the G20 and also the first major multilateral event attended by President Xi Jinping since the outbreak of the COVID-19.

Ma Zhaoxu expressed, currently, the COVID-19 has taken footholds and is rapidly spreading in many parts of the world, with serious political, economic and social impacts. The international community is eager to strengthen cooperation to combat the epidemic. The G20 is an important platform for global crisis response and economic governance, bringing together major developed economies and emerging market economies. It played an important role in responding to the 2008 international financial crisis. The extraordinary summit on COVID-19 at this critical moment will be of great significance for communication and coordination on tackling the spread of the epidemic and stabilizing the world economy.

Ma Zhaoxu noted, under the personal command and deployment of President Xi Jinping, China has made remarkable achievements in the prevention and control of the epidemic and won high praise from the international community. President Xi Jinping's attendance at the summit shows China's firm determination and sense of responsibility as a major country in enhancing the global fight against the COVID-19, as well as its attitude for supporting the G20 to strengthen coordination and cooperation and stabilize the world economy. We have the following expectations from this extraordinary summit:

First, to strengthen solidarity. The virus knows no borders, and no country can be immune from it. Only by working together can the world secure a victory in the fight against the epidemic, stabilize the economy and restore order. The G20 members need to strengthen solidarity and send a powerful message of jointly tackling challenges to boost the confidence of the international community.

Second, to strengthen cooperation. In the face of the rapid spread of the epidemic, international cooperation is of great importance. The Chinese side, while consolidating the COVID-19 prevention and control at home, will provide timely help to countries in need by sharing experience, jointly strengthening capacity building, providing urgently needed medical supplies, and facilitating other countries' purchases of supplies in China. It is hoped that the G20 members will help each other and cooperate closely to jointly safeguard international public health.

Third, to strengthen coordination. The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to the global economy. Under the premise of ensuring the prevention and control work, China's resumption of production is playing an important role in stabilizing the global industrial chain and supply chain. China hopes all parties will enhance macroeconomic policy coordination, adopt necessary fiscal, monetary and structural policies, promote market opening-up, ensure an open, stable, secure and smooth global supply chain, and play a constructive role in boosting market confidence.

In a word, the Chinese side is ready to make joint efforts with other G20 members to push for positive outcomes of this extraordinary summit.