Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of ASEAN 2020. (Photo: VNA)

At the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 response in Hanoi on Tuesday, Mr. Phuc, Chairman of ASEAN for 2020, said all ASEAN members are struggling to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of their people and on their socio-economic development, especially in the service sector, which accounts for 30% of ASEAN’s GDP.

He said the video conference has a special importance with a pandemic spreading throughout the region and around the world.

"In this difficult time, the ASEAN Community is demonstrating its solidarity and mutual assistance, standing shoulder to shoulder to overcome hardships, as manifested in the ASEAN Chairman's Statement on collective response to the COVID-19 outbreak," said Mr. Phuc. 

"ASEAN members are strengthening their cooperation in health, defense, economy, and tourism, while sharing and providing essential supplies and medical equipment and supporting all citizens during the pandemic."

The Prime Minister said the number of infections in ASEAN’s population of 650 million is estimated to be just 15,000, which is much lower than the global rate.

"We need to promote 'cohesive and responsive' solidarity and determination to defeat this pandemic," he noted.

After the opening, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Chairman of the ASEAN Coordinating Council, briefed the participants on ASEAN’s response to the epidemic and recommendations to further cooperation in the region.