China finances Apec fund for Covid-19

[BEIJING] China has financed the setup of a fund under Apec to fight Covid and fuel economic recovery, President Xi Jinping said during a virtual meeting of the Asia-Pacific trade group on Friday.

Mr Xi also said that China supports waiving the intellectual property rights of Covid vaccines and is willing to cooperate with other countries to ensure a stable and safe supply chain for vaccines.

On the topic of regional economic integration, Mr Xi called for countries to build an open, fair and unbiased environment for digital commerce. He also reiterated a call to build a high-level Asia Pacific free trade zone as soon as possible.

Mr Xi was speaking at an extraordinary meeting held by New Zealand, the revolving Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation host, ahead of a formal gathering in November, the first time such an additional meeting has been held.

REUTERS