The ambassador of China to South Africa Lin Songtian on Monday said South Africans in Wuhan and cities affected by the coronavirus outbreak were well taken care of.
More than 30 locals were in China, the epicentre where the infection broke out.
The death toll has now exceeded 360 with just one death reported in the Philippines outside China.
Songtian said it was part of their culture to treat foreigners with the utmost respect.
“All the foreigners in China are not our enemy, they’re our friends and visitors. We will keep them well and we need to pay attention to them,” he said.
Meanwhile, China also thanked South Africa for its support and expertise in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
Songtian said they were confident the virus would soon be under control and they were grateful for the help of South African scientists.
China said it urgently needed protective medical equipment as the death toll from the coronavirus raised.
Fears forced people in the densely-populated country of 1.4 billion to stock up on single-use surgical masks while frontline medical personnel at the centre of the outbreak had reported equipment shortages.
The country’s foreign ministry said so far, countries including South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Hungary donated medical supplies.
Authorities said steps were being taken to bring in masks from Europe and the US as factories returned to production after the Lunar New Year.