MANILA/HANOI, July 27 (AP): Vietnam has postponed its hosting of Asia’s largest security forum, which includes North Korea, and an annual meeting of South-East Asian foreign ministers by a month to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Two South-East Asian diplomats said Monday that Vietnam, which leads the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) this year, hopes to hold face to face meetings in mid-September instead of doing them by online video due to travel restrictions if the annual gatherings were to be held as originally scheduled later this week.
The 10-nation bloc hosts the Asean Regional Forum, which brings together its top diplomats with counterparts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, India, the two Koreas and other Asia Pacific countries to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and other security issues.
Most of about 1,300 Asean meetings this year have so far been shifted online due to the coronavirus pandemic, including an annual summit of Asean leaders last month.
More sensitive talks, including secretive negotiations between China and Asean member states for a so-called "code of conduct” in the disputed South China Sea, have been delayed indefinitely, said the two diplomats, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.
Meanwhile, Vietnam on Sunday also suspended its domestic football leagues until further notice following news of the first locally transmitted case of coronavirus in nearly 100 days, reports AFP.
After more than three months with no local cases, a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in the central city of Danang tested positive for the virus.
Following the discovery, authorities announced Sunday that they have found three more infections connected to the Danang case.
In response, the Vietnam Professional Football (VPF) announced all domestic football leagues have been suspended.
The country's top Vleague and the First Division were supposed to play new rounds starting July 29.
The change in plans is "to ensure the safety of the players", organisers said in a statement.
No details were provided on when the matches might resume.
Vietnam has won praise for its handling of the virus, registering just 420 infections and no deaths despite sharing a long, ungovernable border with China.
Communist authorities were quick to lock down the country after the virus emerged in neighbouring China, with a rigorous state quarantine and contact-tracing system put in place.
Two South-East Asian diplomats said Monday that Vietnam, which leads the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) this year, hopes to hold face to face meetings in mid-September instead of doing them by online video due to travel restrictions if the annual gatherings were to be held as originally scheduled later this week.
The 10-nation bloc hosts the Asean Regional Forum, which brings together its top diplomats with counterparts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, India, the two Koreas and other Asia Pacific countries to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and other security issues.
Most of about 1,300 Asean meetings this year have so far been shifted online due to the coronavirus pandemic, including an annual summit of Asean leaders last month.
More sensitive talks, including secretive negotiations between China and Asean member states for a so-called "code of conduct” in the disputed South China Sea, have been delayed indefinitely, said the two diplomats, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.
Meanwhile, Vietnam on Sunday also suspended its domestic football leagues until further notice following news of the first locally transmitted case of coronavirus in nearly 100 days, reports AFP.
After more than three months with no local cases, a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in the central city of Danang tested positive for the virus.
Following the discovery, authorities announced Sunday that they have found three more infections connected to the Danang case.
In response, the Vietnam Professional Football (VPF) announced all domestic football leagues have been suspended.
The country's top Vleague and the First Division were supposed to play new rounds starting July 29.
The change in plans is "to ensure the safety of the players", organisers said in a statement.
No details were provided on when the matches might resume.
Vietnam has won praise for its handling of the virus, registering just 420 infections and no deaths despite sharing a long, ungovernable border with China.
Communist authorities were quick to lock down the country after the virus emerged in neighbouring China, with a rigorous state quarantine and contact-tracing system put in place.
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