Taiwan is committed to working with other Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation members to accelerate the cross-border flow of vaccines and related goods to combat the coronavirus pandemic, according to Minister without Portfolio John Deng June 5.

COVID-19 is reshaping the way the society operates, increasing the need for new technologies and digital solutions to facilitate development of e-commerce and relevant data management mechanisms, said Deng, who heads the Cabinet-level Office of Trade Negotiations. Of equal importance is ensuring free trade and widespread and equitable access to vaccines, he added.

Deng made the remarks at the APEC Virtual Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting chaired by Damien O’Connor, minister for trade and export growth for APEC 2021 host country New Zealand.

Participating trade ministers also issued a joint statement after the videoconference reiterating APEC’s commitment to working together to support regional economic recovery during the post-pandemic period while realizing the ambition of an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040.

In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said: “Join, Work, Grow. Together. This is the theme of #APEC2021 & the cornerstone of @apec2021NZ's approach for a powerful post-pandemic bounceback. #Taiwan is proud to join other @APEC member economies in issuing the trade ministers’ statement & implementing Putrajaya Vision 2040.”

Since joining APEC in 1991, Taiwan has made substantial contributions spanning areas such as disaster prevention, food security, information communication technology, small and medium enterprise development, and women’s economic empowerment. (DL-E)