The Covid-19 response was front and centre, and any US-China tensions hidden on the margins, as Jacinda Ardern chaired her first APEC leaders' meeting
APEC leaders have pledged to “redouble” their efforts to expand the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines around the world, at a meeting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said offered a chance to develop a shared path out of the global crisis.
Ardern chaired the late-night Friday meeting, billed as an “informal leaders’ retreat” and the first time an additional meeting at the leaders’ level had been held, with US President Joe Biden, China President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin among those taking part.
As expected, a joint statement released after the conclusion of the meeting contained little in the way of new initiatives or concrete commitments, with leaders promising to “redouble our efforts to expand vaccine manufacture and supply, support global vaccine sharing efforts, and encourage production technologies on mutually agreed terms”.
APEC members would work on targeted measures to create jobs and allow an inclusive economic recovery, as well as strengthening digital infrastructure and technologies.
Government ministers were working together to ensure the region’s supply chains supported the “safe and efficient distribution” of Covid vaccines and related goods, the leaders said.
“We acknowledge the importance of a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment, which can help combat the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We need to suppress transmission, do everything we can to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible, and strengthen our health systems.”
Ardern told media the meeting had served as an opportunity for leaders to discuss “a shared path out of this crisis”, with a strong focus on tackling all the health effects of Covid-19.
“We need to suppress transmission, do everything we can to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible, and strengthen our health systems.”
Ardern did not directly answer a question about whether it was wrong for rich countries like the US to contemplate the roll-out of booster shots when poorer nations did not have enough doses for a first wave of vaccinations, but said it was crucial to build the pace of immunity in a way that reduced the likelihood of Covid variants emerging.
“Even within immunised nations if we have a situation where we continue to see infections grow we run the risk of variants emerging, so even amongst vaccinated populations, it's going to be incumbent on all of us to try and reduce down those conditions whilst we ensure that we have that even access and that equitable access of immunisation and immunity.”
As APEC’s traditional focus on ensuring the free flow of goods, services and other trade, it made sense to focus on that strength and apply it to the movement of vaccines and other health tools that would help with the pandemic response.
She suggested APEC trade ministers had last month “agreed to remove any existing trade barriers and tariffs” for vaccines and related consumables – but as Newsroom reported at the time, New Zealand’s preferred language was watered down to an agreement to “consider voluntary actions” on the issue, largely due to US concerns about how a specific commitment to cut tariffs would apply to its trade with China.
Asked whether tensions between China and other countries could get in the way of the global recovery, Ardern said that was not something which had been borne out in the leaders’ discussions, while she had not observed any friction between Xi and Biden.
The latter point may have been due more to the limited role that the Chinese president played in proceedings.
In the lead-up to the event, Chinese state media had reported Xi would be in attendance. However, his address was recorded and played for the other leaders, while he did not take part in the wider meeting agenda, a spokesman for Ardern confirmed to Newsroom.
Instead, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stood in for Xi; it was not immediately clear whether that was intended to send a signal about how China viewed the event, or simply due to a scheduling conflict.
In contrast, Ardern’s spokesman confirmed US President Joe Biden had played a full part in the proceedings.
A White House statement outlining Biden’s participation in the retreat said he had “underscored the importance the United States places on the region, noting that we are a Pacific nation and vowing that the United States will remain deeply engaged in the region for generations to come”.
“President Biden emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation and reiterated his commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. He put forward a vision for the region that is affirmative, values-based, and transparent.”
For his part, Putin reportedly told APEC leaders Russia had overcome the consequences of the pandemic – a day after the country posted a new record for daily Covid-19 deaths.
Speaking about the US donating more than 500 million vaccines to countries in need, the White House said Biden “made clear that the United States is donating our vaccines, not selling them, and underscored the importance of not attaching any political or economic conditions to the provision of vaccines”.
An English-language copy of Xi’s speech published by Chinese state media recorded him as saying the pandemic had proved “once again that we live in one global village, where countries stand to rise and fall together”.
“We must stick to solidarity and cooperation as we go through this difficult time and jointly work for a healthier and brighter future for humanity.”
Xi said China supported waiving intellectual property rights on Covid vaccines and would push for an early decision on the matter by the WTO and other international organisations.
The country would also provide US$3 billion in international aid over the next three years to support the Covid-19 response and recovery in other developing countries, he said.
For his part, Putin reportedly told APEC leaders Russia had overcome the consequences of the pandemic – a day after the country posted a new record for daily Covid-19 deaths.
