China is prepared to "work with all other countries" to intensify the global fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic, state media on Friday quoted President Xi Jinping as saying.

Xi made the comments in a late-night telephone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese leader said Beijing was "willing to make concerted efforts with Russia and all other countries to... safeguard global public health security," the report added.

"China has the confidence, capacity and certainty to achieve the ultimate victory over the epidemic," Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Putin.

The disease, which has now claimed more than 9,800 lives worldwide, first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

It has since spread to 158 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

China has faced criticism for not acting quickly enough -- and not disclosing enough information -- as the outbreak erupted.

"Certainly the world is paying a big price for what they did," US President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Bolsonaro son accuses China over coronavirus
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) March 19, 2020 - The son of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has joined US President Donald Trump in criticizing China over the spread of the coronavirus, prompting demands from Beijing for an apology.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, a 35-year-old lawmaker, accused China on Tuesday of concealing information about the spread of COVID-19, saying the country's actions were similar to what "the Soviet dictatorship" did during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

"Once again, a dictatorship preferred to hide something serious to avoid criticism, when it could have saved countless lives," Bolsonaro's third son on Twitter.

"China is guilty and freedom would be the solution," he said.

China's Ambassador to Brazil, Yang Wanming, demanded an apology from the lawmaker "to the Chinese people" in a tweet written in Chinese and Portuguese.

Brazil's lower house speaker Rodrigo Maia hurriedly apologized on behalf of the chamber "for the thoughtless words of Eduardo Bolsonaro."

China's embassy in Brasilia accused Bolsonaro of carrying on Trump's animosity towards Beijing.

"We are familiar with your irresponsible words. You imitate your dear (American) friends. On your return from Miami, you unfortunately caught a mental virus, which infected the friendship between our peoples," the embassy said in a tweet.

The junior Bolsonaro was part of the delegation that accompanied his father to Miami from March 7-10 on a visit to the United States, which included a dinner with Trump, who has repeatedly referred to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus."

China is Brazil's leading trade partner, where it exports iron ore, beef and soybeans.

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US summons Chinese ambassador over COVID-19 conspiracy theory
Washington (AFP) March 13, 2020
The United States on Friday summoned China's ambassador after a senior official in Beijing tweeted the "ridiculous" suggestion that the US military started the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department said. David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for Asia, issued a "stern representation" to Ambassador Cui Tiankai a day after foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted the conspiracy theory. "China is seeking to deflect criticism for its role in starting a global pandemic and not telling the world, ... read more