The World Health Organisation's director-general has said he is travelling to Beijing to confer with Chinese officials and health experts about the coronavirus outbreak.
In a tweet, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he wanted to "strengthen our partnership" with China "in providing further protection against the outbreak".
Chinese authorities say it has infected 2,051 people and killed 56.
The Geneva-based WHO also said editors of major scientific journals had agreed to share any papers about the new coronavirus with it before publication, with authors' consent, and that this would help inform its assessment and guidance.
It comes after China's National Health Commission said the ability of the new coronavirus to spread is strengthening and infections could continue to rise.
Health authorities around the world are racing to prevent a pandemic after a handful of cases of infection were reported outside China, including in Thailand, Australia, the United States and France.
The mayor of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, said he expected another 1,000 new patients in the city, which was stepping up construction of special hospitals.
The newly identified coronavirus has created alarm because much about it is still unknown, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people.
It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases.
China's National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said the incubation period for the virus can range from one to 14days, during which infection can occur, which was not the case with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
SARS was a coronavirus that originated in China and killed nearly 800 people globally in 2002 and 2003.
"According to recent clinical information, the virus'ability to spread seems to be getting somewhat stronger," Mr Ma told reporters.
The Lunar New Year holiday, traditionally celebrated by hundreds of millions of Chinese travelling around the country and abroad to see family, began on Friday but has been severely disrupted by the outbreak.
Mr Ma said China would intensify its containment efforts, which have so far included transportation and travel curbs and the cancellation of big events.
The country may extend the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a meeting hosted by Chinese premier Li Keqiang.
The virus, believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife, has spread to cities including Beijing and Shanghai. Hong Kong has six confirmed cases.
The World Health Organisation this week stopped short of calling the outbreak a global health emergency, but some health experts question whether China can contain the epidemic.
Chinese President Xi Jinping described the situation as "grave" yesterday.
China confirmed 2,051 cases of infection as of 7pm (11am Irish time) today, while the death toll from the virus remained at 56, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Health officials in Orange County, California, reported that a third case had been registered in the US in a traveller from Wuhan, who was in isolation and in good condition.
Yesterday, Canada declared a first "presumptive" confirmed case in a resident who had returned from Wuhan. Australia confirmed its first four cases.
No fatalities have been reported outside China.
US health authorities have said there are five confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and more are expected.
Nancy Messonnier, head of the respiratory disease section at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said around 100 people in America are being investigated for the virus.
In the UK more than 50 people have been tested for the virus, with all of the tests returned negative.
Some 52 people across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been tested for the deadly flu-like virus.
The current risk to the public remains low, the Department of Health said, adding that the Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
The Embassy of Ireland in China has said it is continuing to monitor the situation closely and advises Irish citizens in the region to follow the advice of the local authorities.
Travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs can be found online.
