The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative participated in the third negotiating round for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in Singapore last May 8 to 15. This negotiating round hosted by Singapore was the final round prior to the IPEF Ministerial in Detroit last May 27, where trade ministers announced near completion of negotiations on IPEF Pillar 2 to strengthen the resilience of regional supply chains. On the sidelines of the Singapore round, the U.S. delegation also held briefings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders including the business community, civil society, labor, and the academia. Over 600 government officials from the region attended the Singapore meeting and successfully held in-depth discussions on all 4 pillars of the IPEF. While further details have not been provided, there was keen interest in how discussions around the deal’s digital provisions would play out in Singapore.
During the negotiating round in Singapore, the Council along with other chamber and industry partners organized a series of sideline events for members. These events included roundtables, dialogues, listening sessions, and forums with key members of multiple delegations as well as bilateral meetings with IPEF delegations from Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
