Ministers from 14 member states of a U.S.-led Indo-Pacific initiative began a two-day meeting Thursday in Los Angeles, hoping to declare the start of formal negotiations for codifying a rules-based economic order in the region where China is increasing its clout. In the first in-person ministerial gathering of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, participants are expected to release a ministerial statement containing an agreement on cooperation for recovery of supply chains of vital products, such as semiconductors and critical minerals, in the event of disaster and contingency. The v...
