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APEC leaders vow to accelerate equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
In a statement issued at the extraordinary summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the leaders said, "We will only overcome this health emergency by accelerating equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable COVID-19 vaccines."
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Woman on top: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a press conference about COVID-19 restrictions in Wellington on March 5, 2021. Ardern is among female leaders recognized for their effective response to the pandemic. (AFP/Marty Melville )
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eaders from 21 Pacific-Rim economies, such as Japan, the United States and China, pledged at informal talks online Friday to accelerate equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement issued at the extraordinary summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the leaders said, "We will only overcome this health emergency by accelerating equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable COVID-19 vaccines."
Emphasizing the role of extensive immunization as a global public good, the leaders said they will "redouble our efforts to expand vaccine manufacture and supply, support global vaccine sharing efforts, and encourage the voluntary transfer of vaccine production technologies on mutually agreed terms."
The informal gathering appears to have raised a strong expectation for desired outcomes to be realized before an official summit in the fall, including lower tariffs on vaccines moving across borders and an accelerated digitization of border paperwork to achieve widespread vaccine access.
"We have collective agreement to move past vaccine nationalism and we are focusing on all aspects of contributing to the global vaccination effort," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who chaired the meeting.
"Each of the economies will need to chart our own paths through the crisis, but none of us are alone, nor can we achieve the full potential of safe and healthy economies by going alone," she stressed.
The APEC leaders also touched on the importance of pushing for collaborative and practical solutions to safely reconnect the world, discussing the potential for initiatives such as vaccine passports, travel green lanes and quarantine-free travel bubbles.
US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among the attendees of the meeting hosted by New Zealand, which currently holds the rotating APEC presidency.
During the meeting, Suga conveyed Japan's determination to hold a "safe and secure" Olympics from next week by taking all necessary measures to stem coronavirus infections, a senior government official said.
With regard to global efforts to ensure fair access to coronavirus vaccines, Suga stressed Japan has been working to provide millions of doses to other countries and regions through such channels as the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program.
He also expressed Japan's continued commitment to expanding a "free and fair" economic bloc in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the official.
Meanwhile, Xi in his remarks stressed the importance of promoting the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, calling for removing barriers, Xinhua News Agency reported.
"We must remove barriers, not erect walls. We must open up, not close off. We must seek integration, not decoupling," Xi was quoted as saying.
The informal summit marked the first meeting involving Biden and Xi since the US president took office in January, but Ardern dispelled notions that there was any tension between the two, saying "that wasn't an issue that I had to navigate as chair at all."
Ardern declined to comment on questions regarding the role of APEC economies in countering China's rising assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait, stating that security issues were not a topic of discussion.
The meeting, held ahead of a formal gathering planned for November, was the first additional summit meeting APEC has ever held since its founding in 1989.
APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
