Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued an ASEAN Chair’s Statement on the bloc’s collective response to novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. 

As the Chairman of ASEAN 2020, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc releases
a Statement of the ASEAN Chairmanship on ASEAN’s common response to the outbreak
of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) amid recent complex developments of the disease.

 Under the Statement, the regional leaders’ expressed their concern over the complex situation of the disease and its serious consequences on people’s lives and the development of ASEAN countries as well as in the region and the world.

Highlighting ASEAN solidarity and spirit “cohesive and responsive” of the Community, ASEAN leaders asserted their strong commitments to joining hands in containing the spread of the disease in order to ensure peaceful life for their citizens.

The Statement welcomes the ongoing efforts within health cooperation channel between ASEAN and its partners (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), stressing that ASEAN will strengthen cooperation both at national and regional levels, coordinate cooperation activities between relevant stakeholders to reach a synchronous and effective approach of the ASEAN Community and promote cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), its partners and international organizations in controlling and preventing the disease.

It also affirms the solidarity and strong support of ASEAN for huge efforts of the Chinese Government and people as well as the international community in combating the epidemic.

The Statement emphasizes that ASEAN countries will continue open policy, agree to coordinate in quarantine work at border gates of the member countries.

The leaders tasked their overseas diplomatic missions to provide necessary assistance for ASEAN citizens and prevent misinformation spreading of misinformation about the epidemic19.

ASEAN leaders also committed to giving high priority to coping with the epidemic and called for support from the international community.

As the Chairman of ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had suggested organizing a special meeting of the ACC and cooperating with China to hold a special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the occasion of the upcoming 5th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos to discuss measures to cope with the Covid-19 epidemic.