Cambodian PM leaves G20 early after positive Covid test, expresses concern for other leaders

Following a positive COVID-19 test that caused him to cancel talks at the G20 Summit in Indonesia and leave early, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed concern for the health of other world leaders on Tuesday.

Hun Sen, the current ASEAN chairman, claimed that his symptoms were minimal but he was concerned because many of the G20 participants had attended the ASEAN and East Asia Summits he hosted in Cambodia, which finished on Sunday.

He posted an audio message on his Facebook page saying, "This is my biggest concern. The president of Indonesia whois the next rotating chair of ASEAN was always with me."

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"Besides him, there are some other leaders who were close with me, shook hands and travelled together, including the US president, who sat together at dinner and travelled together," he added.

It was unclear right away if any of the G20 summit's leaders had COVID-19 positive tests.

Indonesia, which is hosting the summit, has put in place stringent COVID-19 standards, such as mask requirements, body temperature checks, antigen testing, and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab tests, to reduce the danger of virus spread.

According to the White House, US President Joe Biden, who undergoes routine COVID-19 testing, received a negative result on Tuesday morning.

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On Tuesday, officials who were also in Cambodia including President Biden and President Joko Widodo of Indonesia attended a number of meetings.

Hun Sen had meetings planned with Xi Jinping of China and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others.

(with inputs from agencies)