Taiwan would not join US' Indo-Pacific Trade pact, asserts NSA Jake Sullivan

White House National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan, on Sunday, confirmed that Taiwan would not be included in the list of countries joining the US’ anticipated Indo-Pacific Trade pact. While addressing the media, Sullivan stated that President Joe Biden, who is currently touring Asia, would announce the names of the countries included in the economic pact. He added that Taiwan was not amongst the nations which signed up for the launch of the pact. 

It is pertinent to note that the trade deal would allow Washington to collaborate more closely with key Asian economies. Creating a new centre for gravity, the pact would help Asian economies tie-up with the US to work more closely on issues including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy, worker protections and anti-corruption efforts. Earlier this week, China said that it was closely monitoring  the framework and added that it was ‘bound to fail.” 

The US president is slated to emphasise the launch of the framework as he meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday. Biden landed in Japan on Sunday, aiming to bolster ties with the Asian archipelago. In Tokyo, he is poised to attend the Quad summit, which will also mark the presence of PM Narendra Modi. 

Joe Biden's Asia visit

The US President first stopped at Seoul, the capital of South Korea where he met the newly appointed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. He engaged with technology and manufacturing leaders in the country "who are mobilising billions of dollars in investment in the US to create thousands of good-paying jobs", US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday during a presser at the White House. Biden will also be the guest of honour as American and Korean troops display "collective security" drills.

The next stop was Tokyo where Biden met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the leaders will launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). His visit is hooked on the vision of bolstering ties with the South East Asian nations to deter Chinese increasingly aggressive propaganda in the South East China Sea, thus posing threat to the free and open Indo-Pacific trade route. Also, Biden will seek to repair frayed ties between Japan and South Korea in order to bolster defence against North Korea's nefarious tactics.