Upbeat Chinese foreign minister says COVID-19 control efforts 'are working'

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a summit between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) on COVID-19 in Vientiane on Feb 20, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Dene-Hern Chen)

Speaking in Laos after talks with peers from the 10 Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries, Wang Yi said the outbreak was "controllable and curable" despite the global panic it has seeded.

"China is not only protecting its own people but also the rest of the world," he told the summit in Vientiane, referencing a recent sharp drop in new cases of the virus inside China, where it has killed more than 2,100 people.

The hastily-convened summit with ASEAN neighbours comes as a region dependent on the flow of Chinese goods and tourists faces a steep bill following restrictions on movement from China.

A similar meeting was held in 2003 following the outbreak of SARS.

Originating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has infected more than 74,000 people inside China.

The government has locked down tens of millions of people in several virus-hit cities, extended Chinese New Year holidays and pulled flights in a scramble to contain the virus.

Still the health scare has cascaded across Southeast Asia, with cases recorded in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have restricted flights from mainland China and suspended visa-free arrivals as health screening ramps up at entry points.

Thailand, which has imposed no such restrictions, reported a 90 per cent slump in arrivals from the mainland this month, a gut punch to an already beleaguered tourist sector which makes up nearly a fifth of the economy.

Thailand anticipates a loss of more than US$8 billion by year's end from the tourist tail-off.

'TEMPORARY IMPACT'

But China's Wang said the drop-off would be "temporary".

"The outbreak may have taken a toll on cooperation between China and ASEAN but such impacts can be overcome and made-up for ... the long-term trajectory will remain intact," he said during a press conference after the meeting.

"Fear is more threatening than the virus, and confidence is more precious than gold," he added.

China sees ASEAN as its backyard and has ramped up economic, diplomatic and cultural influence over recent years with billions of dollars of investment, tourist outflows and a bigger presence at regional summits.

There are fears prolonged disruption by the virus could slow work on the massive China-backed Belt and Road infrastructure schemes which criss-cross ASEAN.

But Wang laughed off concerns on Thursday, telling AFP there "won't be any negative impacts" on various projects dotting the region.

"In contrast, it will strengthen our collaboration and unity, and push forward the Belt and Road initiative together," he told AFP.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr thanked China for its "unprecedented domestic measures and quick action" - apparently referring to the lockdowns of several large cities as the virus billowed out.

But he recognised the "massively detrimental" economic impact of the disease, which has constricted global trade and tourism vital to many Southeast Asian economies.