HONG KONG -- An official of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government condemned discriminatory trade policies and called for joint efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at an international meeting on Saturday.

"During this crucial time, we urge all economies to keep their boundaries open to ensure the smooth functioning of the supply chain and refrain from erecting trade barriers or resorting to irrationality in trade policies," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau of the HKSAR government said at a virtual ministerial meeting of APEC.

Yau said that the COVID-19 is the common enemy of the world's economies and trade is a vital part of the solution to current difficulties, stressing that "only by working together we stand to win."

Hong Kong, as a founding member of the World trade Organization (WTO) and a separate customs territory, remains committed to maintaining a free market policy and supporting progressive trade liberalization, Yau said.

Any unwarranted restrictive and protectionist measures at this critical juncture will only make the pandemic more lethal and detrimental to the region's long-term recovery, he said.

He reiterated that a well-functioning and effective multilateral trading system is needed more than ever to mitigate the enormous economic challenges and sustain a dynamic but stable international market environment.

During the meeting, ministers exchanged views on concrete initiatives that APEC can undertake in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and charting the path for economic recovery in the region.

The meeting concluded with the issuance of a statement, in which ministers reaffirmed their commitment to effectively mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and promptly steer the region towards a path of resilient, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery.