The ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) convened with the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) at the Special AEM-METI Video Conference on COVID-19 Response held today. At the meeting, both sides adopted the ASEAN-Japan Economic Resilience Action Plan.

The Action Plan translates the “ASEAN – Japan Economic Ministers’ Joint Statement on Initiatives on Economic Resilience in Response to the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak”, which was published on 22 April 2020, into concrete actions. The Action Plan aims to enhance cooperation in mitigating the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure long-term economic resilience for ASEAN and Japan’s post-pandemic recovery.

Comprised of 52 strategic measures, the Action Plan identifies the concrete actions to be implemented to realise the following objectives:

• sustain the close economic ties developed by ASEAN and Japan;
• mitigate the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the economy;
• strengthen economic resilience in response to the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the video conference, the ministers also discussed the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic and reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions in mitigating its economic impact.

The Action Plan can be found here.