Pacific Rim leaders discuss economic way out of pandemic

U.S. President Joe Biden, China's Xi Jinping, Japan's Yoshihide Suga and Vladimir Putin of Russia are among Pacific Rim leaders gathering virtually to discuss strategies to help economies rebound from a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic

CANBERRA, Australia -- U.S. President Joe Biden, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among Pacific Rim leaders gathering virtually to discuss strategies to help economies rebound from a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will chair the special leaders’ meeting Friday of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. But the pandemic and vaccine diplomacy have proved to be divisive issues among members of a forum that says its primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Biden spoke by phone with Ardern on Friday ahead of the leaders' retreat and discussed U.S. interest in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a White House statement said.