SINGAPORE – Asean has to mount a united response to the coronavirus pandemic as the region is deeply connected and interdependent, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.

The Straits Times reported that the Singaporean leader suggested that countries can work together by sharing information, collaborating to keep trading routes and supply lines open, and building resilience to deal with future economic shocks.

At the same time, Asean should not lose sight of longer-term objectives, which are key to enabling economies to survive and recover once the storm is past, said Prime Minister Lee at a Special Asean Summit on Covid-19 via video conference.

“None of us in Asean can be truly safe unless the entire region is safe,” he said, describing the pandemic as “the gravest public health crisis that mankind is facing in this century”.

The summit was convened by Vietnam, this year’s Asean chair. It was chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

According to the Straits Times, during the summit, countries spoke of the need to mount an urgent response to address the public health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/pm-lee-asean-has-to-mount-united-response-to-covid-19-pandemic-should-not-lose-sight-of