Asia-Pacific leaders condemn war in Ukraine and renew calls for free trade

Leaders from the Asia-Pacific region have called for an end to the war on Ukraine and pledged to steer the region’s economies towards sustainable growth as they concluded summit meetings on Saturday.

Host Thailand was able to bridge divisions among the 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum as most members condemned the war in Ukraine.

Russia is an Apec member, as is China, which has generally refrained from criticising Moscow.

The declaration issued by Apec leaders acknowledged differing views on the war and said the forum, which is devoted largely to promoting trade and economic ties, was not a venue for resolving conflicts.

But it said the war and other security concerns can “can have significant consequences for the global economy”.

The declaration said most members strongly condemned the war and emphasised that it was causing immense human suffering and worsening inflation, supply chain problems, food insecurity and financial risks.

Like the statement issued by the G20 at a summit in Bali, Indonesia, the Apec declaration echoed a March 2 UN General Assembly resolution that “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine”.

The Apec meetings on Saturday concluded a flurry of gatherings in South-East Asian countries this week, events that gave leaders opportunities for face-to-face talks that have been rare in the past two years owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Much of the activity at such summits occurs on the sidelines and before and after formal meetings.

US Vice President Kamala Harris exchanged brief remarks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday before the final Apec meeting began, calling for both sides to keep lines of communication open.

Mr Xi said he viewed an earlier meeting with US President Joe Biden as a step towards a “next stage” in ties between the two largest economies, the Chinese government said.

Tension between the countries has increased amid friction over issues including trade, technology and human rights.

Ms Harris told Mr Xi that the US “does not seek confrontation or conflict with China”.

She received a handover in the form of a symbolic “chalom” bamboo basket from the Apec host, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

The US will host next year’s summit in San Francisco, with preliminary meetings to be held in other cities throughout the year.

Although meetings are often affected by urgent concerns, Apec’s long-term mission is to promote closer economic ties.

Mr Prayuth opened Saturday’s meeting by urging leaders to push ahead with Apec’s agenda of promoting free trade in the Pacific region.

“We have to give priority to turning this plan into action,” he said.

Security risks are not on the formal Apec agenda, but Mr Prayuth said North Korea’s recent missile launches were discussed and “everybody shares concern on that issue”.

Ms Harris and the leaders of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea met separately on Friday to voice concerns about the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea.

The missile landed near Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.

At Apec and the G20 summit, officials appear to have chosen to agree to disagree about the war in Ukraine, while voicing anguish over its deepening effects.

In both Bangkok and Bali, countries that have refused to condemn the invasion refrained from blocking the release of statements strongly criticising Moscow.

Apec members account for about four of every 10 people and almost half of world trade.

Much of the group's work is technical and incremental, carried out by senior officials and ministers, and covers areas such as trade, forestry, health, food, security, small and medium-size enterprises and women’s empowerment.

The leaders’ declaration on Saturday also called for the greater use of clean energy and more secure, environmentally sustainable food systems.

It also covered an array of goals that addressed illegal, unregulated and unauthorised fishing, illegal logging, marine waste, improvements to public health care and better access to vaccinations.

Other Apec members include Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was to represent the Association of South-East Asian Nations, did not attend the summit after testing positive for Covid-19.

The venue, at Bangkok’s main convention centre near a vast park, was cordoned off, with some streets closed to traffic.

On Friday, police clashed with demonstrators in another area of Bangkok. The protesters called for democratic reforms in Thailand and accused the government of promoting policies that favoured major businesses over ordinary people.

Some protesters threw debris at police, who charged the crowd and used rubber bullets. Several people were injured and several arrests were made in the incident, which lasted several hours.