June 26, 2020
Vietnam warns the virus pandemic had swept away years of economic gains as Southeast Asian leaders meet online for a summit that will also be dominated by anxiety over Beijing's moves in the flashpoint South China Sea.
The current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also wants to use the summit to inject momentum into talks on a sprawling China-backed trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
A deal, which aimed to loop in half the world's population and third of its GDP, has been hampered by India's refusal to join over access to its market for cheap goods from China, the regional superpower it is now locked in a deadly border row with. — AFP
Monitor this page for updates on ASEAN Summit 2020 chaired by Vietnam. Photo from the AFP.