Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders have promised to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible and reduce dependence on fossil fuels to tackle climate change.
Pacific leaders, hosted entirely online by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, agreed to chart a road to post-pandemic recovery to ensure the Asia-Pacific region "remains the world’s most dynamic and interconnected regional economy".
Leaders, however, failed to agree on whether the United States should host the 2023 APEC meeting.
On the pandemic response, APEC leaders vowed to boost COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and supply through the transfer of technology, and eliminate export restrictions on medical goods.
There was agreement that nations increase cooperation on COVID-19 testing and vaccine passports, as international borders re-open and people begin moving again.
Inclusive economic recovery from the pandemic was also a key focus of the meeting.
"With the COVID-19 crisis far from over, we are determined to use all available macroeconomic tools to address the adverse consequences of COVID-19 and sustain economic recovery, while preserving long-term fiscal sustainability," the leaders said in their joint statement.
Ms Ardern chaired a meeting of APEC leaders in July ahead of this week's gathering which agreed to expand the sharing and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines.
APEC looks to fossil free future
APEC also said that climate change posed "unprecedented challenges" to the world.
"We acknowledge the need for urgent and concrete action to transition to a climate resilient future global economy and appreciate net zero or carbon neutrality commitments in this regard," the statement read.
Nations vowed to halt the increase in subsidies to fossil fuels, setting the stage for climate change to become an issue raised in future APEC meetings.
"Three out of four of the most significant users of fossil fuel subsidies are within the APEC region and keeping in mind we've made this agreement at a time when economies are looking to stimulate their economics, looking to recover from COVID-19," Ms Ardern said.
"We will now see going forward the lens of climate change applied to future APEC policy and that just did not exist a year ago let alone three years ago," she said.
The meeting of 21 leaders also agreed to help grow trade on environmentally friendly technology like electric cars.
Ms Ardern would not be drawn on Australia's input into climate discussions at the summit, but affirmed climate policy will be embedded in future APEC policy making.
"Every participating economy has had input into the construction of those declarations and indeed the Aotearoa Plan of Action."
Simmering US-China tensions on display
The summit of the Pacific rim countries came amid heightened regional trade and geopolitical tensions, particularly between China and the United States.
"It was constructive, it was positive and convivial, and there was a real common sense of purpose among members," Ms Ardern said.
In a recorded video message earlier this week to the CEO forum which took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Asia-Pacific region must not return to the tensions of the Cold War era.
"Attempts to draw ideological lines or form small circles on geopolitical grounds are bound to fail," he said in the video message.
Mr Xi's comments were a reference to growing US military cooperation between other nations in the region, including Australia.
The APEC summit came ahead of a much-anticipated online summit between Mr Biden and Mr Xi, which is expected to take place on Monday.
US officials have said they believe direct engagement with Mr Xi is the best way to prevent the relationship between the world's two biggest economies from spiralling toward conflict.
with Wires
