GENEVA -- Leaders from more than 160 countries and 30 international organizations have expressed their sympathy and support to China in the fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak, a senior Chinese diplomat said here Thursday.

Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to UN at Geneva, said at a press conference here Thursday evening that China's prevention and control measures not only protect the life and health of the Chinese people, but also buy time for global preparedness.

"At this moment, we need to take an objective, rational and scientific attitude towards the epidemic prevention and control, act in line with the WHO recommendations and avoid overreaction," he said.

China will continue to work closely with WHO and other countries by grasping the window opportunity to defeat the epidemic as soon as possible, he stressed.

According to the Chinese ambassador, China has maintained an open, transparent and responsible attitude to cooperate with the international community, including sharing information and viral genome sequence in a timely manner, inviting the WHO director-general to visit China, taking various measures to solve the difficulties faced by foreigners in China, and providing support to countries with vulnerable health system through multilateral and bilateral channels.

The China-WHO Joint Expert Mission is currently stepping up its work in China and will make recommendations on prevention and control of the epidemic not only for China but also the whole world, he said.

At present, he added, increasing hospitalization and cure rates, as well as reducing the infection rate and mortality are still the top priorities.

"Currently more than 200 medical teams and 30,000 medical personnel from all over the country, and three mobile BSL3 laboratories have been deployed to support Hubei's efforts on fighting the disease," he said.

The Chinese diplomat told the journalists that the vast number of medical staff who are fighting on the front line show their dedication, professionalism, and a high sense of responsibility.

On Feb 18, the Lancet, an authoritative international medical journal, published a correspondence online entitled "Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combating COVID-19", 27 well-known public health scientists from eight countries signed that statement.

"China appreciates their voice of support," Chen said.