[CTC] Expectations rising for IPEF talks

Wed Apr 6 10:52:55 PDT 2022

Hi everyone,

A quick reminder that the public comment period on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’s negotiating objectives closes this coming Monday, April 11.  This pact has the potential to become the “Biden template” on trade, so weighing in now on what you want and don’t want in this pact is very important.  

Submitting IPEF comments is easy with these resources for organizations <https://tradejusticeedfundorg.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/ipef_publiccommentperiodtalkingpoints.pdf> and individuals <https://citizenstrade.salsalabs.org/CTC033122IPEFPublicComments/index.html>.

Thanks!

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826

Morning Trade: Expectations rising for IPEF talks
Politico Pro, 4/6/22 
By Gavin Bade with help from Doug Palmer and Steven Overly

QUICK FIX
— Expectations are rising that the Biden administration is close to announcing an opening of formal negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework — though it’s likely to amount to an agreement to keep talking.

— U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai courted a key potential IPEF ally — Singapore — in a meeting with the city-state’s prime minister on Tuesday.

DRIVING THE DAY
SOMETHING’S COMING ON IPEF: The Biden administration appears close to an announcement of some sort on its proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, but exactly what’s around the bend is a mystery for now.

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez <https://directory.politicopro.com/congress/member/51523> stoked curiosity on the topic on Tuesday, telling your host, “I can’t give you the exact timeframe” for an announcement, “but I think it’ll be sooner rather than later.”

“I think the administration wants to achieve an opening gambit as soon as possible,” the New Jersey Democrat continued. “When they get to that point, it won’t be with a singular nation. I think it’ll be with a group.”

So, what are we talking about here? The details of that “opening gambit” are still unclear. But it will likely be an unveiling of a group of nations that commit to working out the details of the IPEF framework in later discussions.

So, an agreement to keep talking, more or less. And it’s likely to contain at least a few Southeast Asian nations, Menendez said, that have expressed interest in joining the pact, even though they want to see more ambitious trade provisions.

One potential forum could be a rescheduled summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which was supposed to take place last week in Washington but had to be moved.

White House Asia Coordinator Kurt Campbell implored ASEAN nations to attend the summit during an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday, saying it would be the “greatest gift” they could give the U.S. after the scheduling mishap.

Focus on digital: Raising digital standards around issues like privacy, security and cross-border data flows across more parts of Southeast Asia has been a top priority for countries shaping the terms of the economic framework, U.S. and Singaporean officials said Tuesday.

Some countries such as Singapore are already meeting many of the framework’s digital obligations, but the economic framework is the Biden administration’s “main approach” for expanding those standards across the region, Deputy USTR Sarah Bianchi said at the same conference, co-hosted by CSIS and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council.

Bringing others to the table: Some countries may not be willing to sign on to the framework’s “trade pillar,” which will house the digital commitments, Bianchi acknowledged. But the framework is designed to allow countries to pick and choose the pillars they want to join — meaning a country could make commitments around clean energy or supply chain resilience, for instance, without making commitments on digital trade or labor standards.

“Those are conversations that we will get into as we get underway,” Bianchi said. “And right now what we’re looking for is to have a big, inclusive launch and figure out where all these negotiations lead.”

Singapore’s ambassador to the U.S., Ashok Mirpuri, said some Southeast Asian nations will initially find parts of the agreement, such as energy decarbonization, more appealing than others, like the digital provisions. But interest in the broader agreement can build as negotiations begin.

“You can always say the standards they are offering are not high enough, the incentives are not good enough,” he said. “But we’re really at that very early stage of the process. Let’s have it going as soon as we can and then start to do real work in the process.”

Timeline: Bianchi said the administration is “trying to land it as soon as we can” but echoed earlier remarks from Campbell that “developments in the world have made all of these issues challenging.” She said the rollout would be coming in a matter of “weeks, not months,” the same answer she gave in early February.

Across the Pacific: IPEF was top of the agenda as Tai met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday in the Southeast Asian city-state. Tai emphasized American commitment to the region and highlighted the U.S.’s “desire to work with Indo-Pacific partners, including Singapore, on establishing a high-ambition framework that will advance resilience, inclusion, sustainability, and the interests of our respective workers and middle classes,” according to a readout of the meeting.

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