BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The most important thing that can be learned from COVID-19 is that the life and health of people in different countries have never been so closely connected, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday.

Also, it has never been made so clear that all nations live in the same global village and that humanity is in fact a community with a shared future, Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session.

The virus respects no borders or races, Wang said, adding it poses a challenge to all human beings without distinction.

"Political manipulation will give the virus loopholes to exploit; a beggar-thy-neighbor approach will leave each of us more vulnerable; rejection of science will allow the virus to wreak greater havoc," Wang said.

Having claimed so many precious lives, COVID-19 serves as a stark reminder that countries must rise above differences in geography, race, history, culture and social system, he noted.

Wang called countries worldwide to work together for a community with a shared future and jointly preserve planet Earth, the only home all people have.