Moon Jae-in (left) and Xi Jinping

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday spoke on the phone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss coronavirus cooperation and a possible visit from Xi once the epidemic eases.

Xi affirmed his firm commitment to visiting this year, and Moon stressed the importance of his visit to bilateral relations, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

It was only their fifth phone conversation since Moon's inauguration. They last spoke on Feb. 20.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said, "The two leaders talked about their own country's response to the coronavirus epidemic. They expressed satisfaction that the two countries are cooperating effectively in quarantine matters."

Originally, Xi was supposed to visit Seoul in the first half of this year, but the epidemic threw a spoke in the wheels.