Southeast Asian leaders warned on Tuesday at a web-based summit of the devastating economic costs of the coronavirus, calling for the reopening of trade routes to guard jobs and food supplies, in addition to stockpiling medical equipment, AFP reported.
Vietnam, which chaired a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), urged leaders to create an emergency fund to fight the pandemic because the virus ravages tourism and the region’s export-dependent economy.
In opening remarks via video conference, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised ASEAN’s work to this point within the fight against the virus.
But he warned that the virus “has had a serious impact on people’s lives, their socio-economic situation… threatens social stability and security.”
Vietnam has to this point had some success in containing the virus through widespread quarantines and social distancing.
It has recorded 265 infections and no deaths, while Thailand has officially also kept its numbers relatively low at just over 2,500 cases and 40 deaths.
Vietnam used the 10-member summit to propose funding to fight the pandemic, construct stockpiles of emergency medical supplies and share resources.
Both Malaysia and the Philippines have said they may welcome the response fund, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned “particularly concerned about food security”.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong echoed the group’s concerns, calling on the region’s leaders to work together “to keep trade routes and supply lines open.”.
The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea also joined the summit.
Source: Jakarta Post Office | Asia News Channel | 24Jutrznia.UK
