Regional trade

People wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they walk along a street in Beijing, Thursday, April 23, 2020. China says Australian calls for an independent investigation into the cause of the coronavirus outbreak are politically motivated and unhelpful in dealing with the global pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Latest: Sharp Corp holding lottery for popular masks

Apr. 24, 2020 12:50 AM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — China reports no new deaths for ninth straight day —...

Crew on the the Ruby Princess wave with a cartoon sized hand and head as the ship departs from Port Kembla in Wollongong, Australia, Thursday, April 23, 2020. The ocean liner became notorious as Australia's largest single source of coronavirus infections and is the center of a criminal investigation over the sickness' spread set off a month after it was ordered by police to leave. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Asia Today: Jakarta suspends passenger flights, rail service

Apr. 23, 2020 12:00 PM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — Indonesia is suspending passenger flights and rail service as it restricts people in the world’s most populous Muslim nation from traveling to their hometowns during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan because of the coronavirus outbreak. The transportation ministry’s director...

In this photo provided by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, center, speaks from Singapore during a videoconference on COVID-19 between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday, April 23, 2020. (Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

US blasts China at Southeast Asian meeting on coronavirus

Apr. 23, 2020 10:36 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday that China is taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Pompeo made the accusation in a meeting via video to...

This image taken in Hanoi, Vietnam, shows a monitor screen of ASEAN leaders attending the Special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 online Tuesday April 14, 2020. Counter-clockwise from top left: ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, Thai President Prayut Chan-ocha, Singaporean President Lee Hsien Loong, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (VNA via AP)

Virtual summit: SE Asia leaders meet by video on pandemic

Apr. 14, 2020 7:06 AM EDT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Forced apart by the coronavirus pandemic, Southeast Asian leaders linked up by video Tuesday to plot a strategy to overcome a crisis that has threatened their economies and kept millions of people in their homes under lockdowns. The 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian...

FILE - In this March 1, 2020 file photo, medical staff wearing protective suits take samples from a person with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus at a drive-thru virus test facility in Goyang, South Korea. When the first cases of the disease showed up in South Korea, they reacted quickly with the use of widespread testing, technology to trace at-risk groups, and strict social quarantines and distancing. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

The Latest: Electric bands for Koreans who break quarantine

Apr. 10, 2020 11:58 PM EDT

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR — Worldwide coronavirus death toll hits 100,000. —WHO...

Southeast Asian ministers endorse plans for pandemic fund

Apr. 10, 2020 4:01 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers have endorsed the setting up of a regional fund to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and discussed a planned video summit of their leaders with counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said...