Biden Tightens 'China Containment' Reins: "13 Countries Including US and Japan Join IPEF"

President Joe Biden [Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Japan, announced on the 23rd that he will launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) together with 13 countries including the United States and Japan.

According to NHK and other broadcasts, President Biden said at a joint press conference held after a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on the same day, "This framework is about building an economy based on security and trust, which are the most important challenges of the 21st century, protecting supply chains, and responding to anti-corruption, together with regional partners."

Prime Minister Kishida, announcing Japan's participation in IPEF, said, "I highly appreciate the United States showing deep interest and engagement in the Indo-Pacific region from an economic perspective," and emphasized, "It is important to realize sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the Indo-Pacific region."

IPEF is an economic and trade cooperation body led by the United States. Although the specific target countries have not yet been disclosed, it is expected that South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines will participate alongside the United States and Japan. This has the character of countering the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) led by China.

In the afternoon, a high-level IPEF meeting will be held in Japan, where President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend and appear on the international stage. President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will attend in person, while President Yoon and other top leaders will participate via video conference.

This is the first face-to-face summit between President Biden, who is visiting Japan for the first time since his inauguration, and Prime Minister Kishida, who took office in October last year. The two leaders held a meeting for about 30 minutes from 11 a.m. with only interpreters present, followed by meetings with key officials and a joint press conference in the afternoon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.