Measures taken by China to control the novel coronavirus have effectively prevented the epidemic from spreading to other countries, a senior Tanzanian diplomat said on Wednesday.

Palamagamba Kabudi, minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania, expressed gratitude to Beijing for its guarantee of the safety of Tanzanians in China.

In a telephone conversation with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Kabudi said that Tanzania firmly stands with China in this difficult period, and he believes China will win the battle against the epidemic soon.

Since Jan 26, Wang has made phone calls with foreign ministers from 18 countries to exchange views on the coronavirus outbreak.

Addressing the 146th session of the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, the Tanzanian delegate spoke highly of the strong and quick measures taken by China to control the virus and avoid worsening of the epidemic. Wang expressed appreciation and gratitude for those remarks.

He said that China not only safeguards the safety and health of its own people, but also made contributions to international public health.

The current number of infected cases in other countries is less than 1 percent of that in China, showing that China has effectively contained the spread of the epidemic globally, he said.

China would like to continue sharing information with other countries in an open and transparent spirit, and continue carrying out health cooperation with African countries, including Tanzania, he added.