USTR Tai To Travel To Japan And Philippines For IPEF Discussions

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai will travel to the Philippines April 16 – 18 and Japan April 18 – 20 for discussions on what the USTR describes as an "aggressive" 2023 negotiating schedule on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).

• Bloomberg writes that Tai will attempt to, “prove that its year-old trade framework is yielding results.”
• Bloomberg continues: “President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework last May, aiming to build US trading relationships overseas without the involvement of China. The framework includes multiple Southeast Asian nations, such as Japan and the Philippines, and sets rules and standards with foreign markets to smooth out supply lines.”
• Inside US Trade reports: “Seven months into the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity negotiations, the benefits of a potential deal for partner countries remain murky, several industry association sources told Inside U.S. Trade, handicapping their ability to sell prospective gains to other IPEF members and their companies.
• "Some IPEF members, particularly those that haven’t previously engaged in trade negotiations with the U.S., still are unclear about how they might benefit from the U.S.-led initiative.”