BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- As two major countries globally, China and the United States should and can join hands to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic, a foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing on Friday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said this at a press briefing when commenting on an article published by U.S. think tank the Brookings Institution. It called on the United States and China to cooperate to tackle the epidemic and pointed out that only through global cooperation can the COVID-19 epidemic be controlled, which requires the active participation of the world's two largest economies.

Wang noted that experts in epidemic prevention and control in China and the United States had exchanges and dialogue recently. They agreed that, according to Wang, defeating COVID-19 requires global efforts in the spirit of unity and cooperation. The international community appeals for solidarity in the fight against the pandemic, and clear-sighted people want to see better cooperation between China and the United States on this front.

"As far as I know, from March 1, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, China has exported about 43.85 billion masks, 1.19 billion pairs of surgical gloves, 950 million sets of protective clothing, 54.03 million pairs of goggles, and 17,585 sets of ventilators to the United States," Wang said. He added that many provinces, cities, enterprises, and organizations in China also actively donated medical supplies to the United States.

As the epidemic continues to spread, Wang said, China and the United States should and can work together to address the common challenge of humanity as two major countries in the world.

"China is willing to continue to work together with all countries in the world, including the United States, to support the WHO in continuing to play its role, promote the in-depth development of international anti-epidemic cooperation, and strive for an early victory over the epidemic," said Wang.