米主導の新経済圏「ＩＰＥＦ」発足へ　バイデン氏訪日時―インド太平洋枠組み

　【ワシントン時事】レモンド米商務長官は１７日の記者会見で、バイデン米大統領が２２日からの日本訪問に合わせて、米国主導の経済圏構想「インド太平洋経済枠組み（ＩＰＥＦ）」の発足を表明すると明らかにした。日本も枠組みに参加し、近く具体化作業に着手する。米国は環太平洋連携協定（ＴＰＰ）離脱によるアジアでの空白を埋め、影響力を強める中国に対抗する構えだ。
　ＩＰＥＦはバイデン氏が２０２１年１０月末の東アジアサミットで提唱した経済圏構想。同氏は今月２２～２４日に大統領就任後初めて日本を訪れ、２３日には岸田文雄首相との首脳会談を予定している。レモンド氏は「日本にいる間にＩＰＥＦを発足させる予定だ」と語った。（2022/05/18-07:36）

U.S. President Joe Biden will announce the launch of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework during his trip to South Korea and Japan from Friday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday.
   Japan is expected to participate in the framework to build a regional economic sphere, which Biden proposed at the time of the East Asia summit in late October 2021. Work to decide details is expected to start soon.
   With the framework, the United States hopes to fill the regional vacuum created by its 2017 withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, including Japan, and counter China, which is increasing its influence in the region.
   Raimondo told reporters that she will accompany Biden to South Korea and Japan for the launch of the IPEF.
   Under the framework, participants will create common rules on trade and investment. The IPEF will have four pillars--trade, supply chains, infrastructure and decarbonization, and tax and anticorruption.