WT/GC/213  
 
8 May 2020  
(20-3509) Page: 1/2 
General Council  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT ON COVID -19 BY APEC MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAD E 
5 MAY 2020  
The following ministerial statement , dated 8 May 2020, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Malaysia.  
 
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We, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade, recogni ze the 
unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic. We are deeply saddened by the human 
losses due to the pandemic. We also express our utmost appreciation to the frontline workers around 
the world, in particular those from member economies, for their contribution and sacrifice in 
protecting public health. We are aware that the health and economic crises the global community is 
facing have long -term adverse repercus sions on the lives and livelihoods of our people.  
 
We are also concerned about the impact of COVID -19 on vulnerable developing economies. We 
reaffirm the utmost importance of collaboration at all levels and across the region to hasten our fight 
against COV ID-19 and commit to work closely to defeat this pandemic with urgency.  
 
We acknowledge that while halting the spread of COVID -19 currently remains the top priority of 
every economy, remedying the economic challenges must also be accorded a specific focus.  
 
We recogni ze the importance of keeping our markets open and working together to deliver a free, 
fair, non -discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment, to 
ensure that trade and investment continue to flow in these t rying times.  
 
In this regard, we will work to facilitate the flow of essential goods and services to fight the pandemic 
including medicines, medical supplies and equipment, agriculture and food products and other 
supplies across borders, and minimise disru ptions to the global supply chains. We will also ensure 
that trading links remain open and explore ways to facilitate essential movement of people across 
borders, without undermining the efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. We will work closely to 
identify and resolve any unnecessary barriers to trade.  
 
We acknowledge that it may be necessary for economies to implement emergency measures 
designed to address COVID -19 challenges. These measures should be targeted, proportionate, 
transparent, temporary and should not create unnecessary barriers to trade, and are consistent with 
WTO rules. We recogni ze the need to notify any such measures in line with existing WTO rules.  
 
We acknowledge that some members of our society are the most at risk to the pandemic . We 
encourage economies to act swiftly in providing timely and affordable access to essential healthcare 
services, and implement measures to further enhance the resilience, scalability and sustainability of 
our healthcare systems.  
 
We are also aware of the vulnerability of our communities to the current economic slowdown. We 
encourage economies to take all necessary steps to ensure the most exposed economic sectors and 
workers are given support, and ensure that inclusive policy instruments are in place t o fast -track 
their recovery. Returning workers to employment should be a high priority for all Economies.  
 
We encourage economies to pursue facilitative measures that will expedite our economic rebound. 
To this end, we have directed our Senior Officials to  develop a coordinated approach to collecting 
and sharing information on policies and measures, including stimulus packages for the immediate WT/GC/213  
 
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  responses to the economic crisis and long -term recovery packages, which could help respond to the 
economic challen ges brought on by the pandemic. Where possible, these efforts should take into 
account recommendations from the APEC Business Advisory Council. This sharing of information 
seeks to ensure that the strength and learning of one economy may translate into bes t practices for 
the region as a whole.  
 
We recogni ze the importance of coordinating with our partners and counterparts in the international 
community as well as with the private sector and academia, whose knowledge, nimbleness, 
experience and resourcefulne ss are vital to addressing this pandemic in a dynamic, innovative and 
timely manner.  
 
We acknowledge the importance of strengthening regional connectivity by intensifying our efforts to 
make global supply chains more resilient and less vulnerable to shocks , to advance sustainable 
economic growth.  
 
As we fight the pandemic, both individually and collectively, and seek to mitigate its impact on 
international trade and investment, we are aware that the economic disruption that accompanies it 
is transformationa l. It will likely transform much of what we know today about our livelihood and 
about our way of doing business. Harnessing the opportunities of the digital economy and 
technologies, through utili zation of smart working solutions that enable seamless inter national 
business and cross border trade, is essential to alleviate the wide -range impact of the pandemic and 
further advance economic growth, as we embrace the future. Therefore, we will strengthen APEC 's 
digital agenda, including electronic commerce and related services, with fresh perspectives and 
innovative means to navigate these new realities together.  
 
We will work together towards a healthy, resilient and inclusive Asia -Pacific community. We remain 
unwavering in our commitment and resolute in our de termination to effectively work towards 
mitigating the health and economic impact caused by COVID -19, fast -track the revitali zation of the 
region 's economy and foster its secure growth moving forward.  
 
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