G20 virtual meeting

G20 leaders vowed Thursday to fight the coronavirus crisis with their collective wealth and political might, declaring they are injecting a staggering $5 trillion into the global economy. And that's just a start.

Following an extraordinary virtual "summit" organized by Saudi Arabia, which currently chairs the club of the world's top economies, the leaders issued a joint statement urging a coordinated international response — including the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank — both to contain the pandemic and to address the accompanying economic shock. And in all respects, they pledged a "whatever it takes" approach.

  

Even the US? I'm skeptical.

"We will expand manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing needs for medical supplies and ensure these are made widely available, at an affordable price, on an equitable basis, where they are most needed and as quickly as possible," the leaders wrote. "We stress the importance of responsible communication to the public during this global health crisis."

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But it's far from clear that leaders will be able to live up to their lofty aspirations. The global response to the pandemic so far has been characterized at times by a mix of both solidarity — with some nations ready to share medical equipment and expertise — and political missteps and backbiting, including initial secrecy by China at the start of the outbreak, and more recent efforts by the U.S. to label the coronavirus as a Chinese pestilence and to blame Beijing for its spread.