Ministers from 14 member states of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic framework are expected to declare the start of formal negotiations this week in Los Angeles, informed sources say, as they work to codify a rules-based economic order in the fast-growing region. The two-day meeting from Thursday in Los Angeles will be the first in-person ministerial gathering of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, known as the IPEF, which U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has created as a vehicle to counter China's ascendance in the region. Unlike a conventional trade agreement, the I...
