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US, ASEAN Postpone March Summit Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Nike Ching

   STATE DEPARTMENT - The United States said Friday that Washington was
   postponing a special summit with the Association of Southeast Asian
   Nations (ASEAN) as countries around the globecontinued to fight the
   spreadof coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

   "As the international community works together to defeat the novel
   coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners,
   has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting
   previously scheduled for mid-March," a senior administration official
   said.

   The U.S. and 10 nations from the Southeast Asian bloc have been eyeing
   a [1]special summit to boost ties at a time when analysts say China
   continues to expand its influence in Southeast Asia while driving a
   wedge between Washington and some of its traditional allies in the
   region.

   "The United States values our relationships with the nations of this
   critical region and looks forward to future meetings," the official
   said.

   The summit was scheduled for March 14 in Las Vegas. Bilateral meetings
   between U.S. President Donald Trump and ASEAN leaders werealsobeing
   planned.

   The U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) hasbeen arranging a major
   technology summit to be held on the sidelines of the planned March
   special summit.

   "The American business community recognizes the importance of this
   summit for the leaders of ASEAN and for the U.S. government as it
   pertains to the Indo-Pacific strategy," US-ABCVice President Elizabeth
   Dugan said after the postponement, adding that the organization
   looked"forward to working closely with U.S. and ASEAN leadership to
   ensure the success of this important engagement at a later date."

   VOA's Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report from the White
   House.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-asean-eye-march-special-summit-boost-ties

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