China Policy Research on Monday submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on the Biden Administration’s proposed “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.”

The Commerce Department and USTR, who are jointly leading the Administration’s efforts toward building an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), requested public comments about key pillars of the upcoming negotiations from interested businesses and civil society groups. China Policy Research submitted comments including key observations and recommendations to follow during IPEF negotiations.

CPR emphasized the critical importance of including Taiwan in an eventual IPEF agreement, both due to Taiwanese centrality in global semiconductor supply chains and due to the need to include Taiwan in more multilateral economic partnerships in the midst of the strategic competition between the United States and China. The comments also highlighted other key nations to develop deeper ties with, including India, which has recently continued to open more to free trade; Australia, which has the capacity to replace supply chains for certain critical minerals; and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, which could provide a tenable replacement for American manufacturing supply chains exiting China.

CPR encouraged the USTR and Commerce to strengthen labor provisions preventing forced labor in U.S. supply chains, as has been a focus following revelations of the Chinese government’s genocide of the Uyghurs, and strengthen intellectual property protections between IPEF partner countries, some of which continue to be highlighted on USTR’s “Notorious Markets” report.

Digital trade is predicted to be a major focus of the upcoming IPEF talks. CPR recommended that USTR and Commerce “construct digital standards that stand for reciprocity and against data localization and forced technology transfers,” so that current restrictive Chinese digital standards do not become the norm in the region. The comments argued that bringing a large number of countries together on writing digital trade rules will allow for greater cooperation and investment between democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as transaction costs in the digital realm will be lower for companies doing business in IPEF partner nations.

CPR concluded by advocating for eventual bilateral and multilateral free trade agreement talks in the Indo-Pacific region, with an emphasis on negotiating a free trade agreement with Taiwan and restarting negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Though the current IPEF talks are much narrower and do not extend to tariff cuts or expanding market access, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework can be an initial stepping stone to lead the United States into more comprehensive free trade agreements in this crucial region of engagement.

You can read China Policy Research’s full comments to the Department of Commerce here.