Interview: Director of APEC Secretariat calls for multilateral cooperation for inclusive recovery

WELLINGTON, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic clearly shows that people need each other and it is imperative for more multilateral cooperation to promote inclusive recovery, a senior APEC official said.

In a written interview with Xinhua ahead of this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be hosted virtually by New Zealand later this week, Rebecca Sta Maria, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, said that multilateral cooperation between APEC's 21 member economies plays a significant role in overcoming a crisis such as COVID-19.

It is necessary to "ensure a stable supply of medical equipment and healthcare, exchange data to track and contain the spread of the virus, improve vaccine supply chains and facilitate safe travel," she added.

"It has taught us that none of us can go at it alone," she said.

"We need more international cooperation and not less. In the past three decades, we have experienced how working together to deepen economic integration has made Asia-Pacific the most dynamic region in the world," Maria said.

A survey conducted by APEC among the region showed strong support for international cooperation to tackle current and future global crisis, especially the pandemic.

The Singapore-based APEC Secretariat is the core support mechanism for the APEC process. It provides coordination, technical and advisory support as well as information management, communications and public outreach services.

At an APEC meeting on COVID-19 held in July, the leaders underscored the essential role of trade and investment and an interconnected regional economy in tackling the impact of the pandemic and in enabling a strong economic recovery for the region, Maria said.

To boost the post-COVID recovery of the APEC region, she said the smooth flow of vaccines and essential goods must be ensured, and structural reforms must be implemented to improve social outcomes.

She noted that human capital development should be boosted while efforts should be made to ensure that everyone benefits from digital transformation.

Maria stressed the protection of the environment and said that as seen during the pandemic, diseases could grind an entire economy to a halt, reducing productivity, hampering economic growth and making everyone worse off."

"COVID-19 is a call to action. Protect the environment, save lives and livelihoods," she said.

There is a need to leverage economic cooperation to realize inclusive recovery, Maria noted.

The pandemic has exposed underlying divisions and fragility that pose significant challenges to governments and societies, she pointed out.

Uncertainties over the length and extent of this pandemic, the widening of existing social and economic gaps, as well as uneven recovery across the region are the shared challenges, Maria said.

She stressed "more inclusive growth" where all segments of society are able to fully participate and share the fruits of their contribution.

She welcomes China's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), saying the decision from China highlights the importance of multilateralism and cooperation, shows its commitment to regional integration and underlines the role of globalization in times of a global crisis.

The CPTPP could be the catalyst for positive reforms that will improve predictability and transparency in trade and doing business in the region, which are the main objectives of the regional trade pact, Maria said.

"It is important to note the tenacity of APEC member economies in advancing our work in regional economic integration," she said.

APEC's 21 member economies, representing about 3 billion people, half of global trade and 60 percent of the world's total GDP, aim to establish the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) between the members.

Maria saw the multilateral agreements, whether the CPTPP or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as important pathways toward the FTAAP, saying that they ensure the Asia-Pacific community will continue on its dynamic trajectory and play an important role in ensuring the members contribute and benefit from regional economic integration.

APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. Its members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth by accelerating regional economic integration.

APEC currently has 21 member economies, namely, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, China's Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.