Russia quarantines top Chinese consul as precaution as Xi promises China will not falter

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) wearing a protective face mask and receiving a temperature check as he inspects the novel coronavirus pneumonia prevention and control work at a neighbourhoods in Beijing on Monday (Feb 10). Xinhua/ANN

MOSCOW/BEIJING: Russian authorities have quarantined a top Chinese diplomat as a safety precaution against coronavirus shortly after he arrived in Russia to take up his new post, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday (Feb 10).

Consul General Cui Shaochun arrived in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Thursday to start his new job, but instead of having scheduled meetings he was told to stay at home for two weeks, Russian foreign ministry official Alexander Kharlov was quoted as saying.