RAMALLAH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian prime minister on Thursday hailed the visit of a Chinese medical expert team tasked with helping Palestine fight against COVID-19.

Mohammad Ishtaye thanked the team and expressed his appreciation to the visit, which he said constitutes a message of "both medical and political solidarity."

"We are grateful that the team has come at the very right time," he said adding that there is a lot for Palestine to learn from the Chinese experience in fighting coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, said that the importance of the visit lies in its timing, where it would help support the capacity of the Palestinian health system ahead of a possible new wave of the deadly disease as warned by the World Health Organization.

"We will seize this opportunity for both our peoples to exchange rich expertise and experiences in fighting the coronavirus. I have a firm belief that over the next seven days, there will be continued and in-depth exchanges in the medical and healthcare system to combat this pandemic," said Guo.

The team, which arrived at Palestine on Wednesday, was put together by China's National Health Commission with the members selected by the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission.

The team is composed of experts from various fields, such as respiratory and infectious diseases, traditional Chinese medicine, epidemiology and nursing.

They are scheduled to hold a series of meetings and visits to quarantine centers and treatment centers in the West Bank.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed," the Palestinian prime minister said in reference to the continuous Chinese support to the Palestinian people.

Prior to this visit, China had sent medical supplies to Palestine and organized several meetings between Palestinian and Chinese medical experts via video conference.

So far, there were 665 cases confirmed in Palestine, including five deaths.