He said the team also aims to "guide (people) to do scientific personal protection, ease tension and anxiety, and let them feel the warmth of their motherland and the care of the people in their motherland".

During an online conversation with the British Chamber of Commerce in China on Tuesday, Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, said China encourages collaboration between business, research institutions, and colleges from both nations on vaccine and drug development to fight against the disease.

"China and the UK are standing together," he said. "I firmly believe that the relationship between our two countries will emerge even stronger, and the friendship between our peoples will emerge deeper after we win this battle against the virus."

According to the latest UK government figures on Saturday, the number of people who died in the nation after being infected with the virus reached 1,019.

There are now 17,089 confirmed cases in the UK.