US hopes to start trade talks under IPEF to fuel economic activity

Last month, India joined 13 other countries to establish the IPEF, led by the US to counter China's growing clout in the Indo-Pacific region

The 14 members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) held their first informal meeting in Paris, with the US hoping to start negotiations on the trade pillar that would include contentious issues such as labour and environmental standards.

While United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai chaired the meeting on Saturday, India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal could not attend as he was on his way to Geneva for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12). India was represented at the meeting by the additional secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Amit Yadav. A senior government official,