ASEM Summit Postponed Again to Q4 This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), originally scheduled to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on June 1-2, has been postponed again to the fourth quarter of this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Khmer Times and other sources on the 5th, Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that during the ASEM senior officials' meeting held via video conference on June 1-2, they unanimously agreed to reschedule the summit to the fourth quarter of this year.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained in a statement, "This decision is due to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19," adding, "This postponement is to ensure the safety of ASEM leaders attending the summit and to guarantee constructive exchanges of opinions."

It is reported that Cambodia proposed holding the summit in late October or early November. The summit was originally scheduled for mid-November last year but was postponed once to June this year due to the COVID-19 situation.

ASEM was launched in 1996 to strengthen relations between the two continents of Asia and Europe. Currently, it includes 21 Asian countries, 30 European countries, the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and other regional organizations, totaling 53 countries and entities.

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