Asia’s response to the US Indo-Pacific strategy: Building the RCEP: Legal and political implications

• Main Author: HSIEH, Pasha L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2019
• Subjects: Commercial Law; International Law
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/3099; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5057/viewcontent/Building_the_RCEP_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The Trump administration declared the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy as the new U.S. policy on Asia in 2017. This new strategy will have far-reaching implications for U.S.-Asia relations and global governance. The FOIP is conventionally perceived to focus on security dimensions. By “free,” the United States expects all countries “to exercise their sovereignty free from coercion by other countries.”1 The qualifier, “open,” is meant to refer to regional connectivity, in particular including freedom of navigation.2 Notably, the economic dimensions of this component also envision “fair and reciprocal trade” and “transparent agreements.”