The Asia-Pacific region is among the most vulnerable to the threat of pandemic. The spread of infection has an impact on many sectors, including trade, investment, tourism, medicine, and scientific and technological cooperation. Losses caused by new (highly pathogenic influenza, the Zika virus, coronavirus) and well-known (HIV/AIDS, dengue fever, malaria) infections in a region can amount to billions of dollars, but they can be avoided. To make this possible, rapidly growing economic and social links in the region should be accompanied by investment in strengthening epidemic warning and reaction systems, and in developing intergovernmental cooperation on a regional level. This will reduce the negative effects of pandemics on the economy and the progress of integration processes, and increase investment attractiveness. The key to increasing preparedness and the ability to react to a pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region lies in political commitment to cooperation in this area, developing collaboration between healthcare services, and scientific and technological cooperation in research and development to identify new means of diagnosing and preventing infection. Is the Asia-Pacific region prepared for the next pandemic? What weak points are there in existing systems for controlling epidemics in the region? Would it be possible to create a single international epidemic warning and reaction system in the region? What could Russia and other states in the region contribute to the creation of such a system? What are the priorities for scientific and technological cooperation between countries in the region in order to increase readiness to deal with the threat of infection? What incentives exist to encourage private sector investment in healthcare, scientific and technological cooperation to counter pandemics in the Asia-Pacific region?