Last week, President Trump and President Xi had a very good, productive phone conversation regarding the global COVID-19 pandemic. And, over the weekend, I spoke with Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang about our countries joint efforts to combat COVID-19. I underscored that now is the time to look forward, and relayed my appreciation for Chinese efforts to assist our government in the export of needed medical supplies to the United States.
The U.S. Embassy has already been hard at work bringing U.S. and Chinese companies together to meet the growing immediate needs for critical personal protective equipment in the United States. And we are working closely with Chinese government officials to facilitate the shipment of those supplies out of China. No one country can fight this battle alone, and I am confident that our two countries will continue to find ways to jointly cooperate to combat this common enemy that threatens the lives of all of us.
As the entire U.S. Mission to China continues our support and concern for our Chinese colleagues who work for Embassy Beijing and our five Consulates, we now look homeward with concern for the health and safety of our own families, friends, and loved ones back in the United States. The work we are all doing is crucial, and I encourage everyone to continue your valiant efforts to fight this pandemic.
Moving forward together, I know that we will get through these difficult times.
