World leaders pledge to redouble pandemic fight at special APEC meeting

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin delivering his speech at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Informal Leaders' Retreat chaired by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tonight. The virtual settlement was joined by 21 APEC economic leaders. - Bernama

WELLINGTON: Leaders of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and China's Xi Jinping, pledged on Friday to work to expand sharing and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines to fight the global pandemic.

The leaders, struggling to tame outbreaks exacerbated by the Delta variant of coronavirus, said they would encourage the voluntary transfer of vaccine production technologies "on mutually agreed terms" as the region prepared for future health shocks.