A recovered COVID-19 patient donates plasma on a blood donation bus in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with Malaysia's new Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further strengthen bilateral ties.

Hishammuddin said that Malaysia's new government attaches great importance to its relations with China and regards China as a reliable brother and friend.

The Malaysian side stands ready to work with China to further strengthen the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and lift bilateral relations to new levels, Hishammuddin said.

Congratulating China on its remarkable achievements in response to COVID-19, Hishammuddin said the Malaysian side believes that China will prevail over the novel coronavirus outbreak at an early date.

Hishammuddin said the Malaysian side is willing to exchange experience in epidemic prevention and control work and enhance anti-epidemic cooperation.

For his part, Wang congratulated Hishammuddin on assuming office and said as the prevention and control work in China continues to improve through arduous efforts, China is confident in winning the fight against the epidemic at an early date.

Wang said China and Malaysia are comprehensive strategic partners and representatives of emerging economies, whose common interests continue to expand.

The two countries should strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication, make full use of each other's complementary advantages, and promote comprehensive mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to contribute to each other's development and revitalization, Wang added.

Wang said that at a time when the world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century and emerging economies are developing at an accelerated rate, unilateralism has risen, power politics has resurfaced and multilateral mechanisms have been severely impacted, Wang said.

Wang said that as responsible countries and important cooperative partners, China and Malaysia should jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, uphold the international order based on international law, and maintain the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as the cornerstone.

China firmly supports Malaysia in hosting this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economic leaders' meeting and is willing to work with Malaysia to promote the meeting to inject new vitality into the regional and global economic growth, Wang said.