The meeting was chaired by Hairil Yahri Yaacob, a senior official from Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry.

He urged participating economies to prioritise the undisputed flow of essential goods and services across the region.

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Hairil Yahri Yaacob, a senior official from Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry. Photo: berita.mcoba.org

The official said this was key to ensuring member economies are able to rebound following the wide-ranging economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Necessary lockdowns and social distancing have been or are still in place region-wide to keep the pandemic from spreading, but the resulting economic slowdown has the potential to cause long-term harms to the lives and livelihoods of millions more, he said.

He called the members to exchange views, review their response to the crisis and formulate a possible coordinated approach to collecting and sharing information on policies and measures regarding COVID-19 and its economic effects.

Malaysia is slated to host the APEC Summit in November.

APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific, with 21 members.

Source: VNA