Washington, D.C. – TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today released a statement in advance of U.S.-led trade negotiations this week in Singapore regarding the development of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The following can be attributed to TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore:
“The United States is a leader in the development and deployment of digital technologies that support American jobs and economic growth. As restrictions on digital trade have grown, the IPEF must include strong digital trade provisions that promote a free and open internet and encourage competition in the global economy – not digital protectionism.
“We urge U.S. negotiators to strengthen IPEF’s digital trade provisions in this and subsequence negotiating rounds that will benefit U.S. workers, strengthen American businesses, and help us win the next era of innovation.”
This week, U.S. negotiators will convene with their counterparts from Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is the third round of negotiations around the IPEF. The first two rounds, held in September 2022 and March 2023, are the result of a trade pact that was launched last year.
In 2021, TechNet joined 18 other leading organizations, representing a cross-section of the American economy, in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai calling for the development of digital trade rules in the Indo-Pacific region.