Singapore welcomes U.S. 'high-ambition' trade engagement in Asia

But USTR Katherine Tai says framework needs to 'defend' American interests

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is pitching a new Indo-Pacific economic framework that includes labor and environmental protections. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, TSUBASA SURUGA and FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writers

April 5, 2022 18:00 JST

Updated on April 5, 2022 20:05 JST

TOKYO -- U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the city state Tuesday to discuss the Biden administration's proposed "high-ambition" Indo-Pacific trade framework, but not an American return to an 11-nation Pacific trade bloc.