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Considerations for IPEF in the New Year

January 17, 2024 • 10:30 – 11:30 am EST

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The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) has been one of the signature Biden Administration efforts to provide a framework for cooperation for the future economy on digital trade, decarbonization, taxation, and anti-corruption with partners in the Indo-Pacific. Three of the four pillars were concluded at the recent November 2023 APEC summit, with one pillar, focused on trade, faltering. Join us in listening to experts discuss what is and should be in store for IPEF in the new year.

Panelists:

Barbara Weisel 

Barbara Weisel is a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, where she focuses on international trade and investment policy and negotiations as well as market access and regulatory matters.

Ms. Weisel has more than 25 years of experience advancing international trade and investment initiatives, expanding market access in Asia-Pacific markets, and resolving specific issues faced by businesses in the Asia-Pacific.

Ms. Weisel served most recently as Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. She was the US chief negotiator for the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) from its inception in 2008 through its signing in 2016. She was responsible for developing US positions in coordination with other government agencies, Congress and the US private sector.

In addition to TPP, Ms. Weisel led efforts to expand US market access and promote US economic interests in the Asia Pacific, working with foreign government officials at all levels on intellectual property, digital trade, services, financial services, agriculture, customs, and product standards.

As Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Bilateral Asian Affairs (Korea, Southeast Asia, and South Asia), Ms. Weisel served as negotiator of FTAs with Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and Singapore. She also was charged with monitoring and enforcing Asian countries’ compliance with their World Trade Organization commitments and working with US companies to resolve specific issues in these markets.

Earlier, Ms. Weisel served as the official responsible for managing global pharmaceutical regulatory issues and as Director for Japan Affairs.

Before joining USTR, she worked at the State Department from 1984-1994, serving in a variety of positions, including as international economist on Japan, the Persian Gulf, and North Africa.

Ms. Weisel earned two Masters Degrees from Harvard University in 1983 in Public Policy with a focus on international development, and Religious Studies, with a focus on Islamic civilization. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College (Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude).

Marc Mealy

Marc Mealy is the Senior Vice President-Policy at the US-ASEAN Business Council. He manages the production of the Council’s information products, coordinates advocacy efforts across our country and industry committees, and serves as the in-house lead on international trade policy. He joined the Council in 2003 as the Senior Director for Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei Affairs as well as Coordinator of the Council's ASEAN Financial Services Working Group. He was named the Vice President in 2010.

Marc has over twenty years of experience in international trade and economics.

He began his professional career in 1989 as an international economist with International Trade Policy Division of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Services. While at USDA he was accepted into the United States Foreign Service, and later went on to manage some of USDA’s largest commodity trade finance (GSM) and food assistance programs (PL-480) in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe for USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation.

In 1994-1996, he joined the African American Institute, an international non-profit NGO, as the Director of its Trade and Investment Program and later worked as a consultant to foreign government and international development NGO’s.

Prior to joining the Council Marc spent four years inside the U.S. Congress. From 1999-2001 he was a member of the Professional Staff of the House International Relations Committee. From 2001 to 2003, he served as the international economic and foreign policy advisor to Congressmen Gregory Meeks of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees.

Marc holds a B.A. in Economics and Third World Studies from Oberlin College and an M.S. degree in Economics from the University of Florida.

William Reinsch

William Reinsch holds the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, he was a senior advisor at the law firm of Kelley, Drye & Warren and served for 15 years as president of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents multinational companies on international trade and tax policy issues.  From 2001 to 2016, he concurrently served as a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, teaching a course in trade policy and politics. Reinsch also served as the under secretary of commerce for export administration during the Clinton administration. Prior to that, he spent 20 years on Capitol Hill, most of them as senior legislative assistant to the late senator John Heinz (R-PA) and subsequently to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV). He holds a BA and an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies respectively. 

Moderator:

Erin Murphy

Erin Murphy is a senior fellow for the Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She has spent her career in several public and private sector roles, including as an analyst on Asian political and foreign policy issues at the Central Intelligence Agency, director for the Indo-Pacific at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, founder and principal of her boutique advisory firm focused on Myanmar, and an English teacher with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in Saga, Japan. Murphy received her master’s degree in Japan studies and international economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and her bachelor’s degree in international relations and Spanish from Tufts University. She was also a 2017–2018 Hitachi international affairs fellow in Japan with the Council on Foreign Relations. Murphy is also the author of Burmese Haze: US Policy and Myanmar's Opening-and Closing (Association for Asian Studies, 2022).

This event is made possible with support from Coupang.

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Contact Information

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Erin L. Murphy
Deputy Director, Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics and Senior Fellow, Emerging Asia Economics
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William Alan Reinsch
Senior Adviser, Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business
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Marc Mealy
Chief Policy Officer & Senior Vice President - Research, US-ASEAN Business Council