Indo-Pacific ministers to reach broad economic deal in upcoming talks

The United States, Japan and other nations in the Indo-Pacific region are expected to reach a broad agreement on economic rule-making during their ministerial meeting next week but will not broach the thorny issue of setting digital trade standards, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.

The envisioned agreement in San Francisco comes as the 14 members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework rush to devise deliverables on rules that can be implemented in a region where China is expanding its clout. Launched in May last year, IPEF has focused on establishing what members call “high-stan...