Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to discuss on COVID-19 outbreak with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations today in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. Six countries in the 10-nation bloc have already confirmed cases of the new virus that causes COVID-19.<br />'' <br />'' ASEAN leaders, in a joint statement earlier this week, had expressed  'serious concerns over the outbreak' and observed that the epidemic poses severe challenges to the well-being of the peoples and the development of their respective countries and the region and the world.<br />'' <br />'' More than 70,000 have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported mostly in China till date. <br />''  <br />