Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the opening ceremony of the online Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 Response. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Cooperation between the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asian countries is the key to containingand putting an end to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe told the press on April 14.
Abe made the statement after attending the online Special ASEANPlus Three Summit on COVID-19 Response chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc of Vietnam, which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship 2020.
The Japanese PM highlighted the need to keep trade routes open,especially for medical supplies and important goods, despite the globalpandemic, saying any measures taken by countries should be in line with the WorldTrade Organisation (WTO)’s regulations.
He also proposed the establishment of an ASEAN centre forinfectious diseases, which would be financed by the Japan-ASEAN IntegrationFund.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand andVietnam.
The Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit onCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via video conference took place on April14, with the participation of leaders from 10 ASEAN member states and theircounterparts from China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan./.
VNA
