China, Australia leaders attend G20 summit via video

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a global war against the coronavirus outbreak on Thursday, as leaders of the world’s 20 major industrialised convened in a video summit to coordinate a multilateral response to the pandemic.

During Thursday's virtual summit, Xi pushed for G20 leaders to take "swift actions" to gain the upperhand on the COVID-19 outbreak which has infected more than 500,000 worldwide.

The unusual video call in lieu of a physical gathering comes as governments around the world stress the importance of social distancing to curb the spread of the highly infectious virus, which has prompted closures, curfews and lockdowns globally.

The Group of 20 nations, criticised for not taking cohesive action against the virus or its economic impact, vowed to work together and said they are collectively injecting more than $4.8 trillion into the global economy to counteract the social and financial impacts of the pandemic.

In a final statement after the meeting, the G20 said they were committed to strengthening the World Health Organization’s mandate.

They said “global action, solidarity and international cooperation” were needed more than ever, but made no specific commitments.

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was among the leaders who took part in the summit, said he urged G20 nations to do whatever it takes to tackle the crisis.