Nurturing US-Indo-Pacific commerce through digital trade 

TRADE negotiators face an inflection point when they meet this week in Singapore for the next round of talks regarding the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

While US businesses have remained steadfast in their engagement and investment with the Indo-Pacific, those same businesses are looking to this round of talks for clear signals that the United States will actively support greater trade and economic liberalisation in the future, while minimising the influence of unhelpful and uninformed political rhetoric that suggests the US may be abandoning its traditional role as a champion of trade.

The IPEF can and must be ambitious. It must deliver near-term positive trade outcomes and establish commitments and policy certainty for US businesses and trading partners alike.