Ministers from Thailand, the United States, Japan and 11 other Indo-Pacific nations agreed Saturday to strengthen supply chain resilience for critical items such as semiconductors and medicines to respond more promptly to emergencies.
The agreement on essential goods and technologies was reached at a meeting of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in Detroit and is the initiative's first tangible outcome since launching in May last year. It is hoped the move will reduce overreliance on China, which has been increasing its economic clout in the region.
