5th Round Of IPEF Negotiations Set For Bangkok Sept 10-16

The Office of the United States Trade Representative and US Department of Commerce have confirmed in a statement that a fifth round of negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) will take place September 10-16 in Bangkok, Thailand. The negotiations follow last month's talks in Busan, South Korea.

• The USTR said, "In Bangkok, the IPEF partners will continue to make progress on negotiations towards high-standard outcomes under Pillars I (Trade), III (Clean Economy), and IV (Fair Economy)."
• ThaiPBS reports: "The Bangkok meeting will build on the draft IPEF texts on the four pillars, as well as further legal scrubbing sessions for the Pillar II (Supply Chain) draft text."
• The IPEF, a loose framework of 13 countries, is not a Free Trade Agreement and has drawn criticism for a lack of clarity on its objectives.
• Thailand Business reports: "The IPEF’s framework can therefore be objectively seen as a move by the US to strengthen its foothold in the region and to check China’s vast influence. The lack of details, however, has given cause to much speculation about the IPEF being merely geopolitical theatre."