Eye on China, economic pact for Indo-Pacific gathers steam

Sandeep Dikshit

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New Delhi, August 13

India will participate in a week-long meeting in Bangkok to negotiate the Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) which does not have China and its three close allies from the ASEAN — Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Launched by US President Joe Biden in the presence of PM Narendra Modi as well as the PMs of Australia and Japan, the IPEF is billed as the US’ repivot to the east to counter China’s narrative as the prime economic and trading power in the region.

For India, it means more business and manufacturing as members of the 14-country IPEF alliance — most of them dynamic economic powers — shift their supply chains away from China as well as exclude Beijing from the new supply chains based on emerging technologies.

India, however, has kept away from trade, one of the four pillars of the IPEF, Sources said talks would be held with the US’ Trade Pillar Chief Negotiator Sarah Ellerman in this respect.