BEIJING -- On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday extended heartfelt sympathy to the Belarusian government and people over the recent COVID-19 outbreak in the East European country.

In his message to his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, Xi said that since the epidemic occurred, the two countries have supported and helped each other, which embodies their sincere friendship characterized by sticking together and helping each other through thick and thin.

China firmly supports Belarus in its fight against the epidemic, and will continue to provide assistance to Belarus within its capacity, he said.

Virus knows no borders and is the common enemy of the humankind, Xi said, calling on the international community to uphold the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind, strengthen unity and coordination, join hands to combat the disease, and together safeguard the world's public health security.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Belarus ties and stand ready to make joint efforts with President Lukashenko to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas such as health care, so as to benefit the two countries and peoples," Xi said.