Commuters wearing masks walk across a pedestrian crosswalk Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in Tokyo. (Photo: AP)

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan need to boost coordination to prevent cross-border spread of the COVID-19 epidemic and effectively safeguard public health in both countries and the region at large, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday night.

In a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Wang also urged the two countries to actively explore ways to strengthen international cooperation on public health within multilateral frameworks.