Founded in 1989 with a view to fostering trade and economic ties around the Pacific Ocean, it operated at a ministerial level until 1993 when U.S. President Bill Clinton established the annual leaders meeting. Each meeting had produced a joint statement at its conclusion, until Sunday.
"This is very concerning from a systemic perspective. The WTO faces similar challenges," said Charles Finny, a Wellington-based trade consultant and a former New Zealand government trade negotiator.
In an editorial, Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times said the absence of a communique was "not a big deal", and placed more significance on an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders are expected to meet at the G20 summit, which starts in Argentina next week.
"It is hoped Washington makes serious preparations for the summit and not pin its hopes on exerting pressure," said the tabloid, which is known for its nationalistic stance.
Still, there did seem to be some Chinese concern over the communique, with officials rebuffed on Saturday when they tried to meet PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato on the issue.
Pato confirmed to Reuters that Chinese officials had wanted to see him, but said they had not made "necessary arrangements".
As the APEC host it was Papua New Guinea's (PNG) role to produce a communique. But the hostility and conflicting visions on display meant few blamed the group's poorest country for being caught between two feuding superpowers.
"In these times, chairing a gathering such as the leaders that we had over the last few days is no easy task," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, adding Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had shown great integrity and leadership.
Indeed, one big change was long-forgotten Pacific nations found themselves aggressively courted by the two big-spending superpowers competing for influence in the strategically important ocean.
Pence said the United States would join Australia to help PNG build a navy base on its Manus Island, which was a U.S. base in World War II, after China had emerged as a possible developer of the deep-water port.
Analysts had said a Chinese presence on Manus could have impacted the West's ability to navigate in the Pacific while offering China a site close to U.S. bases in Guam.
And the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand unveiled a $1.7 billion plan to bring electricity and the internet to much of PNG, a collective counter-attack to the lure of Beijing's flagship Belt and Road program.
"Whatever concepts have been raised by the United States or China or Australia doesn't necessarily mean that these are the same concepts for Papua New Guinea," Wera Mori, PNG Commerce and Industry Minister, told Reuters by phone.
"We have our own situations and our own priorities to focus on."
