ISLAMABAD - By taking extraordinary measures to fight COVID-19, China has set a benchmark for the international community in terms of public health governance, Pakistani President Arif Alvi said on Thursday.

During talks with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, Alvi said Pakistan highly commends China's effective measures to prevent and control the spread of the disease, and the Pakistani people stand firmly with their Chinese brethren.

Both the government and the people of China have made unimaginable efforts to effectively prevent the spread of the virus, which has bought time for other countries to take precautionary actions and highlighted China's image as a responsible country, said the president, adding that he is glad to see the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China is over now.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people will win the COVID-19 battle soon, and China's economic development will return to the normal trajectory to make continuous contributions to the prosperity of the world, Alvi said.

Yao, for his part, said that China has full confidence and capability to win the battle and is willing to share its experience and strengthen public health cooperation with Pakistan so as to forge a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future.

A total of 21 cases have been reported in Pakistan by Thursday, and the Pakistani government is taking strict measures to control the spread of the disease, including screening travelers at airports, establishment of quarantine facilities across the country, and shutdown of schools in affected provinces.