Ikenomic Insights

(Originally published on Forbes.com ) November will be heavy on pronouncements, commitments, reassurances, and the unveiling of new initiatives among countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Ground zero for this month’s activities is San Francisco, where the United States will host the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and its multitude of related ministerial meetings, stakeholder convenings, and sideline huddles. The plates of governments, businesses, and NGOs are full, as the region grapples with many pressing challenges. Deftly navigating the strategic rivalry between the United States and China is one such challenge, so the possibility of warming relations resulting from a long-awaited meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi in San Francisco is welcome news to most of APEC’s 21 members. But of concrete importance to the goal of insulating regional economies from potential geopolitical fallout is the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) negotiations, cert