ISDS Case Map
Asia
IPEF will not be a normal trade agreement and hence challenging to negotiate. Here are some of the challenges.
Draft ministerial text for trade pillar of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
The US and South Korean governments are expected to initiate negotiations on the framework proposed by US President Joe Biden in August (2022).
The United States can no longer afford to buy geopolitical allies with market access.
The framework is another attempt to bring India into the Western fold while positioning it more strategically in the Indo-Pacific trade network
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai convened an informal ministerial meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework partner countries.
Minimum core labour standards appear to be a first principle of the US' IPEF whereas Canada has already signalled to the Indonesian government that worker rights are negotiable in its Indo-Pacific trade deals.
The Consumers' Association of Penang is extremely concerned over the announcement by Senior Minister of International Trade and Industry that Malaysia will join a new economic agreement led by the United States.
Unlike traditional FTAs, the IPEF employs a menu-based approach in which countries would launch separate negotiations under the four pillars of the initiative.
Fiji will become the 14th country and first Pacific island nation to join the US' economic framework, the White House announced, delivering a boost to Washington’s efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the Asia Pacific.
