Governments on both side of the Pacific Ocean have issued a joint statement affirming their commitments to maintain “open and connected supply chains” during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The statement, signed by government ministers from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Myanmar, New Zealand and Singapore, also promised that the governments would work closely to identify and address trade disruptions with ramifications on the flow of necessities.

“We recognize that it is in our mutual interest to ensure that trade lines remain open, including via air and sea freight, to facilitate the flow of goods including essential supplies,” the statement said.

“We affirm the importance of refraining from the imposition of export controls or tariffs and non-tariff barriers and of removing any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, at this time.”

Kala Anandarajah, a partner and head of the competition and antitrust and trade practice at regional law firm Rajah & Tann in Singapore, praised the ministers for their statement.

“These commitments are important particularly given that no one can predict how long the Covid-19 crisis will last,” she said. “Even as we see changes likely to occur in the way we do business, supply chain connectivity is not an element that anyone can do without.

While we can transact goods through e-commerce, goods cannot move through technology alone.”

The ministers also said that they are committed to working with “all like-minded countries” to ensure that trade continues to flow unimpeded and that critical infrastructure such as our air and seaports remain open to support the viability and integrity of supply chains globally.