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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a rare virtual encounter this week while meeting other Pacific region leaders online to find a way to recover from the pandemic Find crisis.
New Zealand is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which will culminate in a meeting of heads of state and government on Saturday. Persistent outbreaks of the coronavirus and related travel restrictions have limited the meeting to virtual space for a second year in a row.
As usual, APEC’s 21 members will look for areas where members can work together in breaking down trade and economic barriers, rather than trying to resolve longstanding feuds.
The focus will be on “finding a way to recover from this crisis of the century,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, host of the meeting of heads of state and government, in a statement.
In total, APEC members account for nearly 3 billion people and about 60% of global GDP. They stretch across the Pacific Rim, from Chile to Russia to Thailand to Australia.
Officials say they made significant progress in around 340 preliminary interviews. APEC members have agreed to reduce or abolish many tariffs and border closures on vaccines, masks and other medical products essential to fighting the coronavirus, said Vangelis Vitalis, chairman of the senior officials meeting.
But tensions between great powers are the inevitable backdrop for the summit meeting of the APEC, which as an economic forum includes Hong Kong and Taiwan in addition to the communist-ruled mainland China.
Both Taiwan and China have applied to join a Pacific trade group, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Stephen Hoadley, associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, said Biden would seek to reverse the course of his predecessor Donald Trump, who opposed regional trade deals with his America First foreign policy approach.
Since Biden took office, Washington has shifted to a more internationalist approach to trade liberalization, supporting global and regional efforts such as the rulemaking World Trade Organization.
However, Biden has retained most of the trade, technology, and investment restrictions Trump imposed on Chinese exports and businesses, while attempting to counter Beijing’s influence in the region.
One such effort is a recent new defense agreement between Australia, the UK and the US that raised eyebrows because it did not include New Zealand or any other US allies. Nuclear submarine development is an important part of the new defense regime, and New Zealand has long had a nuclear-free policy.
Hoadley said the rivalry between China and the US can even be seen in the description of the region, with China calling it Asia-Pacific and the US moving to calling it the Indo-Pacific years ago to include the democratic counterbalance of India – who is not an APEC member.
Aside from the ever-simmering geopolitical tensions, the pandemic has increased uncertainty in a region that has long been seen as an increasingly important engine of global growth.
Many economies are still struggling to recover from the downturns that hit the region hard in 2020, bringing travel and many other activities to a standstill. Prolonged outbreaks of COVID-19 infections, slow advances in vaccinations, and other disruptions in both manufacturing and shipping have increased insecurity and pushed millions of the region’s most vulnerable people back into poverty.
“Unfortunately, protectionism is also increasing around the world, and that has also led to an incredibly challenging environment for us,” said Vitalis during a media briefing.
He said there are similarities, including improving environmental sustainability and improving the untapped potential of indigenous groups.
New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said Tuesday that APEC should send a strong message to the world ahead of a World Trade Organization meeting.
“We are facing the greatest economic shock in 75 years. We know trade will be a powerful engine for our recovery. We absolutely cannot afford to turn our attention to an institution that has supported the work of APEC since its inception, ”said O’Connor.
Prior to the key leaders meeting, APEC will host a youth summit and its usual CEO summit, with keynote speeches from leaders and a keynote address by human rights attorney Amal Clooney. Ardern and Chancellor Angela Merkel will have a dialogue about how the pandemic has changed the world.
The APEC pandemic meetings lack the pomp and glamor of past personal gatherings. No fancy shirts or gala balls. New Zealand decided last year to switch to a virtual summit. Malaysia has also chosen to host the 2020 APEC leaders meeting online due to the pandemic.
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