The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the strength and resilience of humanity as well as national and international governance systems.

The world is grappling with the devastating effects of the crisis. How well countries respond to the pandemic will determine how effective they are in saving the lives and livelihoods of their citizens.

Countries have taken various measures to contain and mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Some have proved to be successful and some have failed. And there are cases where public trust in the government is in deep decline.

In Southeast Asia, national emergency responses and their effectiveness have varied across the region, depending on these countries' political leadership and governance capacities, healthcare systems, financial reserves and level of social resilience.

Crisis leadership matters the most in responding to the multiple systemic crises caused by COVID-19. Effective crisis leaders tend to bypass routine policymaking procedures and red tape in order to accelerate decision-making processes.

Stakeholder consultations and partnerships have proven to be more effective than government-alone policy responses. Social trust and the social fabric are fundamental to the fight against the pandemic.

In some member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, healthcare systems have been overwhelmed in light of the surge of infections. The testing and contact tracing capacities of some countries remain limited. Creating a common protocol and standards for testing and contact tracing among the ASEAN members is therefore urgent.

Countries that do not have much financial reserves are facing mounting challenges in stabilizing economic activities and jobs. In some cases, economic recession might lead to political and social instability.

The economic fallout from the pandemic is imminent. According to various forecasts, ASEAN economies are expected to experience their lowest rates of growth, or biggest contractions, in decades. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia are badly hit. Vietnam and Myanmar are relatively less affected.

Facing such an unprecedented crisis, ASEAN as an intergovernmental body has convened a series of sectoral meetings and a leaders' summit to exchange views and find common ground for regional policy coordination. Although the policy coordination and actions on the ground remain limited, ASEAN has shown a leadership role in forging regional solidarity.

Under Vietnam's chairmanship of ASEAN this year, the pandemic is high on the agenda. Amid the unfolding crisis and future uncertainties, it is critical for ASEAN to maintain the momentum of building mutual understanding and consensus on the pandemic, strengthening regional emergency response and preparedness, sustaining regional supply chains and trade and investment flows, and promoting safe travel.

The 36th ASEAN Summit－to be held virtually on June 26－will be another important regional platform to further enhance the unity, cohesiveness and responsiveness of ASEAN. The COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund is an essential regional reserve fund to help the member countries mitigate the pandemic-driven social and economic risks.

ASEAN has also actively engaged external partners, especially under the framework of ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), in mobilizing resources and actions. Public-private partnerships and a whole-of-society approach were stressed in the statement of the last ASEAN+3 Summit in April.

China in particular has offered remarkable assistance to the ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat in terms of information and knowledge sharing and the provision of medical supplies such as face masks and other personal protective equipment.

China has also sent eight medical expert teams to Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Myanmar and Malaysia and helped the Philippines and Myanmar set up testing labs to enhance the response capability of the ASEAN members.

It is also notable that China-ASEAN trade has proved resilient. The bilateral trade in goods recorded 6.1 percent growth in the first quarter of this year, exceeding $140 billion and making ASEAN China's largest trading partner for the first time.

Looking forward, ASEAN needs to do the following tasks.

First, swiftly expand and put into practice the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. The fund should aim to assist vulnerable groups in the region.

Second, create a regional reserve center of essential medical supplies for emergency response. So far, there is a regional rice reserve under the framework of ASEAN+3.

Third, pool resources to strengthen the capacity of the healthcare systems of the less-developed ASEAN member countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Fourth, create an ASEAN mechanism to support the digital transformation of the less-developed economies in order to reduce the digital and development gap.

Fifth, deep regional integration and connectivity, and enhance the open and inclusive multilateral system. ASEAN must stand firm on its core values and principles and fight against protectionism and unilateralism.

Sixth, amid rising geopolitical rivalry between major powers, accentuated by the pandemic, ASEAN must stand tall and strong to protect the independence and neutrality of the organization. Not choosing sides and maintaining stable relations with all major powers will bode well for the future of ASEAN.

The author is president of Asian Vision Institute in Cambodia.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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