Joint U.S. Department of Commerce and USTR readout of third Indo-Pacific Economic Framework negotiating round in Singapore

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) participated in the third negotiating round for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in Singapore from May 8-15, 2023.

The U.S. delegation was co-led by Sharon H. Yuan, U.S. Department of Commerce Counselor and IPEF Pillars II-IV Chief Negotiator, and Sarah Ellerman, IPEF Pillar I Chief Negotiator and Assistant United States Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Acting).

Building on the discussions that took place during the second negotiating round in Bali, Indonesia, in March 2023, the U.S. delegation successfully led in-depth discussions with IPEF partners in Singapore from May 8-15 on Pillars I (Trade), II (Supply Chains), III (Clean Economy), and Pillar IV (Fair Economy) where the IPEF partners continued to make strong progress on a wide range of issues across the four pillars.

On the margins of the Singapore round, the U.S. delegation also held briefings with congressional staff and participated in a listening session with a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, labor, academia, and the business community.

These briefings and listening sessions reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to ensuring transparency and providing the public with additional insights into the IPEF negotiations.

The IPEF negotiating round hosted by Singapore is the final round prior to the IPEF Ministerial in Detroit, Michigan, on May 27, 2023, which will be hosted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

The Detroit ministerial will be an important opportunity for ministers to review the current progress in the four pillars of the framework (Trade; Supply Chains; Clean Economy; and Fair Economy) and provide direction to negotiators as they work to make concrete progress as quickly as possible.