Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the meeting, which aims to discuss the COVID-19 situation and adopt a new vision on regional cooperation in the post-pandemic period.

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Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the opening ceremony via video conference

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of Malaysia - the host of APEC 2020 - called on economies on the Pacific Belt to stay united to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and promote economic recovery.

Muhyiddin affirmed that APEC will play a central role in guiding recovery efforts following the pandemic. He also urged APEC member economies to ensure the fair right to access to vaccines and medical technology.

The Malaysian PM mentioned APEC’s prioritised fields, including support for rules-based multilateral trade system, and promotion of digital economy and comprehensive economic growth.

In his speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to cooperate with APEC economies to create and share the regional future of peace and prosperity towards the target of building a future common community of the humankind.

He affirmed that China backs APEC in increasing the exchange of policies and building capacity in different fields, including public health and small- and medium-sized enterprises in a bid to facilitate the fight against COVID-19 and economic recovery.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum comprises 21 member economies which together account for 60 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The meeting is the most important activity during the 27th APEC Economic Leaders’ Week hosted by Malaysia.

Source: VNA