HANOI/SINGAPORE -- Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Friday stressed the importance of "freedom of overflight" over the South China Sea, sending a strong message to China, which has not ruled out imposing an air defense identification zone over the area.
The leaders, attending a virtual ASEAN summit hosted by Vietnam, also agreed to address public health care challenges by establishing a regional pandemic fund and building reserves of medical supplies. With COVID-19 testing the bloc's resilience and trade ties, they vowed to maintain open and connected supply chains as well.
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