Politics
2020.04.15 07:28 GMT+8

Trump to convene G7 leaders in video link to discuss pandemic

Updated 2020.04.15 08:42 GMT+8
CGTN

U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a video teleconference with the Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Thursday to coordinate national responses to the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said on Tuesday.

Trump, head of the G7 this year, had planned to hold this year's summit at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland, in June, but moved it to a virtual setting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

G7 nations consists of the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany, all of which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from a London hospital this week after treatment for the virus, which left him in ICU for several days.

"Working together, the G7 is taking a whole-of-society approach to tackle the crisis across multiple areas, including health, finance, humanitarian assistance, and science and technology," said White House spokesman Judd Deere.

A meeting of G7 Finance ministers and central bank governors was held on Tuesday, during which they reaffirmed close coordination to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and pledged to "do whatever is necessary to restore economic growth and protect jobs, businesses, and the resilience of the financial system" so as to mitigate negative impacts.

The G7 leaders' Thursday session is a follow-up to their March 16 video conference, the first time G7 leaders had met in that format, to go over efforts to defeat the coronavirus.

In addition to the meeting this week, another session is expected in May to lay the groundwork for the June video conference.

(With input from Reuters)

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