On 8 - 15 July 2023, Mrs. Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohit, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and Mrs. Chulamanee Chartsuwan, Thailand’s IPEF Senior Expert, together with the representatives from the relevant Thai agencies, attended Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Negotiating Round in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The Meeting discussed the draft IPEF texts on Pillar I (Trade), Pillar III (Clean Economy) and Pillar IV (Fair Economy) and held the legal scrubbing sessions for Pillar II (Supply Chain) draft text. IPEF Partners also exchanged views on ways forward to advance cooperation, including the establishment of capacity building and technical assistance mechanisms for tangible outcomes, as well as plans for the next IPEF Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held in November 2023 in San Francisco, the United States of America.

On this occasion, the Thai delegation reiterated the importance of cooperation on capacity building and technical cooperation, as well as current technology cooperation, particularly related to the Clean Economy Pillar, such as EVs, Sustainable Aviation Fuel , Circular Economy, Carbon Market. The Thai delegation also exchanged views with IPEF Partners on the establishment of mechanism to address IPEF’s structure and financial support and stressed prioritized issues that will support the negotiation in the Trade Pillar. In addition, the Thai delegation reaffirmed commitment to the relevant international standards on anti-corruption and taxation while taking into account IPEF Partners’ diverse domestic laws, regulations, and capacities.

During the Negotiation Round, the Thai Chief Negotiators also had hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from IPEF Partners, including the United States, Australia, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and other ASEAN partner countries.