Duterte joins ASEAN virtual summit on COVID-19, regional issues

Published June 26, 2020 11:02 AM By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday joined fellow leaders in Southeast Asia in an online meeting that is expected to discuss cooperation on COVID-19 response and other regional issues including the South China Sea dispute.

Duterte took part in the 36th Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, the first regular meeting of the 10-member bloc that was held via videoconference in light of the constraints posed by the pandemic.

ASEAN chairperson and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presided over the opening session. 

ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said the convening of the 36th ASEAN Summit was a “concrete demonstration of ASEAN’s solidarity and leadership” amid the global health crisis.

‘’We expect a greater collaborative effort in information and knowledge sharing not only in areas of medical development but also in domestic policies related to social and health security given the vast impact of COVID-19 on communities,’’ he said in a statement.

“Such solidarity is very much needed in responding to the pandemic.”

Duterte, meanwhile, is expected to discuss the overlapping claims in the South China Sea and the welfare of migrant workers.

“The President has always been very clear on the country’s position on the developments [in] the South China Sea and what the objectives are, including the finalization of the code of conduct, final and substantive code of conduct for the South China Sea,” Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje told reporters on Thursday.

Borje said the countries are expected to adopt more than 10 outcome documents on key areas of cooperation, such as food security and supply chain connectivity in the context of pandemic response, countering radicalization and violent extremism, and human resource development. —AOL, GMA News
 

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