COVID-19 Leads to G7 Summit Held Virtually... ASEAN Meeting 'Postponed'

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), international summits are being replaced by virtual meetings or postponed.

According to AFP on the 19th (local time), the White House announced that the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit, scheduled to be held in the United States in June, will be conducted as a virtual meeting. Originally, it was planned to be held at Camp David, the private residence of U.S. President Donald Trump, but it was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere stated that the G7 leaders have decided to hold a virtual meeting. Earlier, President Trump conveyed this during an emergency remote video conference on COVID-19 response convened by French President Emmanuel Macron on the 16th. Deere added that President Trump, who is chairing this year's G7 summit, has decided to hold virtual meetings monthly to address COVID-19 and its resulting economic impact.

Bloomberg reported that the White House has informed member countries that President Trump plans to convene G7 remote video meetings in April and May as well. Larry Kudlow, Director of the White House National Economic Council, explained that this policy was communicated to the countries as they aim to concentrate resources on responding to the health and economic challenges posed by COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has decided to postpone the summit originally scheduled for April in Da Nang, Vietnam, to late June. ASEAN summits are held once each in spring and autumn, and the Vietnamese government, as this year’s chair, had planned to host it. The summit was expected to discuss security issues in the South China Sea, where some member countries have territorial disputes with China, and strategies for responding to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), aiming for an agreement within the year.

However, as COVID-19 cases rapidly increased in Southeast Asia, countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam have effectively banned foreign entry, making it difficult to proceed with the summit as planned, according to the Vietnamese government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.