ASEAN, APT special virtual summits set for mid-April in response to COVID-19

Vietnam, rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2020, will host two special virtual summits between ASEAN members and the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries of China, Japan and South Korea on April 14 in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, a senior official with the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The plan to hold the ASEAN Special Summit and the APT Special Summit on Response to the COVID-19 Epidemic was agreed at an ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting held on Thursday morning, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said at a video press conference, adding that Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will chair the summits.

Two joint statements are expected to be adopted at the summits, which would affirm the strong commitment and determination of the ASEAN and APT countries in preventing and eliminating the risks of the epidemic that threaten people's lives and the member states' socio-economic stability, Dung said.

The ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting on Thursday also agreed on recommendations focusing on preventing and controlling the epidemic spread, supporting ASEAN country citizens affected by the epidemic, and mitigating the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, Dung said.