US, Japan form partnership with focus on labor, environment, digital focus

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The US and Japan have launched a trade partnership, the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced in a statement on Wednesday.

The partnership will focus on trade-related matters that include third country concerns, labor- and environment-related priorities, and digital ecosystem.

"Our close collaboration will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s development of an economic framework for the Indo-Pacific and help create sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and competitive trade policies that lift up our people and economies," US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai said in a statement.

The first series of meetings under the trade partnership is set to take place in early 2022, followed by periodic meetings on a regular basis.

The office said in a separate statement that US, Japan and the EU have agreed to renew their trilateral partnership to address global challenges posed by non-market policies and practices of third countries.

The trilateral partners will start their work in the coming weeks before meeting personally in the upcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.