Asean nations in IPEF pushing for all members to join trade pact: Indonesia’s chief negotiator

The Asean members who are part of IPEF have been pushing for the inclusion of Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. - AFP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): The exclusion of three out of the 10 Asean members from the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is something the grouping’s members continue to bring up during the framework’s discussions, said Indonesia’s chief negotiator for IPEF Dr Edi Prio Pambudi.

IPEF, which was launched by the United States in June 2022, has 14 participating countries, which together account for more than 40 per cent of the global gross domestic product. They are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.