Malaysia will stand in solidarity with China throughout the novel coronavirus outbreak, Wisma Putra stressed today.

"Malaysia has stood and will continue to stand in solidarity with the government and people of China.

"Malaysia has every confidence in their preparedness, resilience and ability to respond effectively to and overcome the current epidemic.

"This sentiment was shared during the telephone call between their two foreign ministers," it said in a statement today.

Wisma Putra was clarifying news reports regarding the repatriation of its non-essential diplomatic staff from China.

It stressed that this move was done to minimise exposure of Malaysian staff to the outbreak and was done in consultation with Beijing.

"The repatriation of Malaysians should never be regarded as anything beyond what it is actually intended, namely, the government’s intention to ensure the welfare of Malaysians," it said.

It added that unlike other countries, Malaysia has kept its borders open to China citizens except those from provinces already under lockdown by Beijing due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"Regardless of any circumstances, Malaysian diplomatic missions in China will continue their operations to provide consular assistance to Malaysians and also to continue their close collaboration with the authorities of the host country," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.