Asian plan to help world recover from COVID-19

City of Bangkok by Evo Flash via Flickr - Prominent former senior government officials and leading academics are calling for Asian nations to work together in order to ensure the global economy bounces back from COVID-19. The group, which includes former advisers to the governments of China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia and think tank leaders, is calling on nations from the region to coordinate financial, trade, public health and food security policies in the wake of the coronavirus. The Asian strategy for recovery and reconstruction after COVID-19 is co-authored by Professor Peter Drysdale from The Australian National University's Asian Bureau of Economic Research and architect of APEC. "This plan brings together a powerful group of former senior officials and prominent academics to help steer the global economy to recovery after the savage impact of COVID-19," Professor Drysdale said. "And the key to success is cooperation among Asian nations. "We are calling for ASEAN to convene a regional leaders conference that would also include ASEAN +6 dialogue partners, including Australia, India and China.  "This meeting would move rapidly on six key objectives, among them expanded bilateral currency swap arrangements to strengthen regional safety nets; the development, production and equitable distribution of diagnostic tests, a vaccine and treatments across Asia; and keeping medical and food markets open. "The proposal aims to avoid the danger of the region's individual nations acting in narrow self-interest with the almost certain unintended consequence of a deeper and prolonged economic downturn.