WTO defers June meeting while Asean pledges closer cooperation to deal with Covid-19 impact
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has suspended a ministerial meeting (MC12) due to held in June while Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) pledged to cooperate with each other to overcome the Covid-19 crisis.
The WTO's MC12 was due to be held in Kazakhstan from June 8 to 11, but has been postponed due to the Covid-19 situation, WTO director-general Roberto Azevêdo said.
The MC12 is held every two years, and Thailand’s representative was scheduled to attend the meeting regarding international trade promotion.
Meanwhile, the AEM was held from March 9 to 11, in Vietnam’s Da Nang city.
Asean ministers expressed concern over the Covid-19 situation, as well as its effect on the region and the global economy, a Commerce Ministry report said.
The meeting also agreed to hasten remedial measures to deal with Covid-19, such as maintaining an Asean market, and promoting collaboration among Asean countries to deal with the virus situation.
“For countries outside the Asean, the meeting will focus on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” the ministry report said. “Moreover, it will continue to open more markets on the sensitive list of products in South Korea," the report added.