Hanoi (AFP)
The pandemic "swept away" years of economic growth in Southeast Asia, lamented the Vietnamese Prime Minister at the summit of regional leaders, focused on this crisis without forgetting the tensions in the China Sea and a gigantic treaty of free exchange.
Our States have "managed the health situation (...) well with a low mortality rate," said Friday Nguyen Xuan, whose country, which has no death linked to Covid-19, this year chairs Asean ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
But from an economic point of view, the pandemic "has swept away the successes of recent years", he deplored during this meeting, which is being held by videoconference.
"In the second half of the year, we have to help our economies overcome the difficulties," he added.
In April, during the previous summit, which had already been held online, ASEAN leaders could not agree to release an emergency fund.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister also, without naming him expressly, pointed to Beijing, accused of taking advantage of the pandemic to advance his pawns in the South China Sea.
To the chagrin of several coastal states including Vietnam, the Asian giant claims most of this sea, a key route to world maritime trade, particularly rich in resources and underwater biodiversity. He is accused of militarizing the area by deploying warships and installing outposts on its islands.
Since the pandemic, "there have been irresponsible acts, violating international laws," said Nguyen Xuan, a barely veiled allusion to China, in particular suspected of having sunk a Vietnamese trawler in April in this area.
Vietnam was to take advantage of the presidency of ASEAN to advance a code of conduct on which the regional block has been working for several years, but this plan has been scuttled by the pandemic and Hanoi hopes today to stimulate new discussions.
Finally, the summit should be an opportunity to try to relaunch the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) project, a gigantic Asia-Pacific free trade treaty promoted by Beijing, stalled since India withdrew of the project at the end of 2019.
© 2020 AFP