On 13 September 2023, Mrs. Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohit, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, presided over the opening ceremony of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Bangkok Negotiating Round, which Thailand is hosting during 10-16 September 2023, at the Shangri-La Bangkok Hotel. Attending were the chief negotiators of 14 IPEF Partner Countries, namely Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Viet Nam.

In her opening remarks, the Deputy Permanent Secretary recognized the immense potential of the Indo-Pacific region to lead the future of the global economy. IPEF could be an important driver to ensure sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth in the region.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary also underscored the importance of establishing clear and realistic objectives, pragmatism, and mutual benefits in a constructive spirit to propel IPEF forward. She emphasized the potentials of IPEF to serve as a catalyst for Partner Countries to improve competitiveness, facilitate seamless trade, scale up transformative investments, enhance digital economy and green economy, and strengthen connectivity in all dimensions. Furthermore, IPEF could help shape the future global governance, particularly in the realm of economic transformation for sustainable development.
 
IPEF is a regional economic cooperation framework, comprising of four pillars of cooperation, namely (1) trade, (2) supply chain, (3) clean economy, and (4) fair economy, which aims to enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation in the region. The Framework also promotes IPEF Partners’ mutual economic interests and capacity building to empower them in addressing emerging challenges.  More than 650 delegates from all IPEF Partner Countries are attending the Bangkok Negotiation Round.