WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that a special meeting of leaders of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC this week will discuss the global economic impact of COVID-19 and no major announcement is expected.
APEC host New Zealand said earlier this week it will chair the informal meeting of APEC leaders ahead of a formal gathering in November, the first time such an additional meeting has been held.
Ardern has said U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the two-hour virtual meeting, to be held on Friday.
She could not confirm if Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend.
“It is extraordinary that we have brought this meeting together outside of the APEC leaders retreat, but that’s because of the circumstances,” Ardern said in Wellington.
“Here we literally want to bring leaders together to discuss economic impacts and the latest from the World Health Organization,” she said.
In a meeting last month, APEC trade ministers agreed to review trade barriers and expedite the cross-border transit of COVID-19 vaccines and related goods, but stopped short of a broad commitment to remove tariffs.
Ardern said the agreement has made a difference in the flow of vaccine consumables.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; editing by Richard Pullin)
