Japan and China have decided to put off another preparatory meeting of high-ranking officials amid the spread of the new strain of coronavirus, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, boosting the likelihood that Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit this spring may be delayed.

The vice ministerial-level meeting on economic partnership, which had been set for later this month, was meant as an opportunity to discuss specific outcomes that Japan and China will aim to produce during Xi's visit, which has been arranged for early April.

The new pneumonia-causing virus has spread from the central Chinese city of Wuhan to Japan and more than 20 other countries, prompting a rethink of bilateral working-level meetings as Beijing has struggled to contain the disease, named COVID-19.