Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday talked here with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif about China's fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic.

"You are the first foreign minister who sent sympathies to the Chinese people since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which fully reflects the profound friendship between the people of the two countries, who support each other and tackle difficulties in a cooperative manner," said Wang.

Both China and Iran are ancient civilizations with a history of thousands of years, whose forward steps cannot be stopped by any kind of difficulties, Wang said, stressing that China is full of confidence in scoring a full victory in the fight against the epidemic at an early date.

Echoing the Chinese foreign minister, Zarif lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping's outstanding leadership in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic.

Meanwhile, the solidarity of the Chinese people has also impressed the world, said Zarif.

On behalf of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Zarif conveyed once again sympathies and respect to Xi and the Chinese people, saying that the Iranian government and people will continue to provide China with all necessary support and assistance.