Clete Willems Discusses Taiwan and IPEF on CNBC’s Squawk Box
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Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia for the segment “U.S. kept Taiwan out of IPEF as its membership may have prevented others from joining.”
Willems, who served in the Trump White House as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics, discussed the United States’ favorable attitude toward Taiwan joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), but pointed to the fact that other countries that comprise the IPEF wouldn’t join because they have close supply chain links to China and are afraid of Chinese retaliation. “That’s why Taiwan is being kept separate.”
He noted, however, that lawmakers in Washington are looking at how to strengthen the relationship with Taiwan to better help them withstand pressure from China and help Taiwan diversify its own supply chain away from China and also discussed reports that the U.S. might build an emergency chip stockpile in the Indo-Pacific using IPEF as a platform or solution.
To watch the segment, click here.