The 10th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy was held via video link on Sept 23. Over 100 representatives from APEC member economies, the World Health Organization and the World Bank participated. 

Ma Xiaowei, minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), delivered a speech at the meeting. Representatives from the NHC's Department of International Cooperation and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology attended and also spoke.

In his speech, Ma said that China appreciates the APEC member economies' joint efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and share experience in pandemic prevention and control as well as their plans for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, which have contributed to regional and global health security.

He said that China is willing to further advance policy communication and technical exchanges with other APEC members, work together to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a global community of health for all. 

The meeting was presided over by representatives of the health ministries of Canada and Malaysia which are the co-chairs of the APEC Health Working Group. A joint statement was adopted and discussions were held on the roles of digital technologies and telemedicine in the virus fight and economic recovery, and on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as vaccines. Representatives from China introduced measures of digital technologies and telemedicine in combating COVID-19.