TOKYO, NEW DELHI, SINGAPORE, SEOUL, WASHINGTON – May 23, 2022 – BSA | The Software Alliance congratulates the leaders of Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam on today’s launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). BSA welcomes the commitment of all participating economies to meet the challenges facing the Indo-Pacific today through a new type of agreement that is built around four pillars – connected economy, resilient economy, clean economy, and fair economy.

“The IPEF has the potential to speed inclusive and sustainable digital transformation across the Indo-Pacific region for the benefit of all participating economies,” said Victoria Espinel, President and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance. “To realize that potential, we urge all participating economies to agree to refrain from adopting unnecessary data restrictions, Internet customs duties, or forced technology transfer or disclosure mandates – for example on software source code. We also urge the participating economies to explore how cross-border access to digital tools and data can support the fight against climate change, bolster democratic and accountable governance, and improve conditions for inclusive and equitable economic growth.”

The IPEF promises to support well-paid and digitally skilled jobs across the Indo-Pacific region, while strengthening alliances and advancing shared supply chain-, labor-, sustainability-, and democratic governance-related goals. For the United States, the IPEF can help keep Indo-Pacific markets open for digitally-enabled goods and services produced by American workers in fast growing, knowledge-intensive sectors, such as digitally enabled manufacturing and services, where the US economy is primed for further growth and job creation.

The IPEF economies account for 40 percent of world GDP and 60 percent of the world’s population. Trade with the Indo-Pacific region supports more than three million American jobs, and the region supports nearly $900 billion in foreign direct investment in the United States. For more information, please see BSA’s Jobs-Centric Digital Trade Policy and BSA’s Submission on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.