Trump has clashed with China over the pandemic.
March 27, 2020, 8:34 AM
4 min read
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than half a million people around the world since the first cases were detected in China in December 2019.
There are more than 533,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new respiratory virus, and over 24,000 people have died from the disease, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has eclipsed China's tally with nearly 86,000 diagnosed cases. The two countries, along with Italy, account for almost half of the world's infections from the novel coronavirus.
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3:30 a.m.: Trump and Xi discuss coronavirus crisis
U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump posted about the telephone conversation on Twitter early Thursday morning, saying they discussed the situation "in great detail."
"Just finished a very good conversation with President Xi of China," Trump tweeted. "Discussed in great detail the CoronaVirus that is ravaging large parts of our Planet. China has been through much [and] has developed a strong understanding of the Virus. We are working closely together. Much respect!"
Xi told Trump that "China and the United States should unite to fight the epidemic" and that he hoped "the United States will take substantive actions to improve Sino-U.S. relations," according to Chinese state television network CCTV.
U.S. President Donald Trump exits a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 26, 2020.
U.S. President Donald Trump exits a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 26, 2020.Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Chinese president also emphasized that the relationship between their two countries is "at a critical juncture" and that "cooperation is the only right choice," according to CCTV.
Trump has clashed with China over the global fight against the novel coronavirus, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan back in December. The U.S. president reportedly angered Beijing officials this month when he repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as "the Chinese virus."
What to know about the novel coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: coronavirus symptomsTracking the spread in the US and worldwide: coronavirus map
