The United States has decided to postpone a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries it had planned to host on March 14 due to worries about the coronavirus outbreak, two US officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump had invited leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet in Las Vegas after he did not attend a summit with the group in Bangkok in November.
"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," one of the sources, a senior administration official, told Reuters.
The official added that the United States values its relationships with ASEAN member nations and looks forward to future meetings.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in gets temperature tested upon his arrival at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters -
A worker wearing protective gears disinfects a door as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea. AP -
Workers move equipments into containers set up as a makeshift medical facility to accommodate COVID-19 patients at a hospital's grounds in Daegu, South Korea. AP -
Murals adorn the walls of an empty subway station, in Milan. AP -
A man wearing a handmade face mask is seen in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by a novel coronavirus outbreak, at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China. AP -
Health personnel wearing protection clothing check the temperature of a guest at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain. AP -
A man wearing a protective mask walks under surveillance cameras in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by a novel coronavirus outbreak, at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China. Reuters -
A cleaner sanitizes a wagon on a regional train, at the Garibaldi train station in Milan, Italy. Authorities are taking new measures to sanitize trains and public transportation after the COVID-19 virus outbreak. AP -
Cleaners sanitize a wagon on a regional train, at the Garibaldi train station in Milan, Italy. Authorities are taking new measures to sanitize trains and public transportation after the COVID-19 virus outbreak. AP -
A security guard stands at the entrance of a shopping mall near a sign reminding people to keep at least one meter distance from each other in Beijing. AP -
A member of the Colombian air force is seen at the entrance of a sports village, where Colombians who return from China will be isolated, in Bogota, Colombia. REUTERS -
Workers make preparations for the upcoming International Tourism Trade Fair ITB as officials consider cancelling the fair for the spread of the coronavirus in the country in Berlin, Germany. REUTERS -
Health personnel wearing protection clothing check the temperature of a guest at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain. Some guests have started to leave the locked down hotel after undergoing screening for the new virus that is infecting hundreds worldwide. AP -
Health personnel wearing protection clothing assist guests as they leave the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain, 2020. Some guests have started to leave the locked down hotel after undergoing screening for the new virus that is infecting hundreds worldwide. AP
The decision comes amid growing fears that the virus will spread in the United States as countries report new infections, companies announce curbs on employees' travel and global stock markets continue to plummet.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States is still relatively small at around 60, most of them repatriated American passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said on Monday preparations for the meeting were going ahead in spite of the coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus outbreak started in China late last year. The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures indicate over 82,000 people have been infected, with more than 2,700 deaths in China and 57 deaths in 46 other countries.
While the outbreak appears to be easing in China, it has surged elsewhere and countries other than China now account for about three-quarters of new infections.
China is not a member of ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Although the State Department has repeatedly stated that ASEAN is at the heart of its strategy to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific" in the face of rising Chinese power, President Trump’s decision not to attend the Bangkok meeting raised questions about the US commitment to the region.
Japan's Nikkei Asian Review earlier this month quoted diplomatic sources as saying that leaders from Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand planned to attend the Las Vegas summit.
