You may think, what is the Indo-Pacific Framework, what does it entail, the purpose?

The IPEF is an initiative by the Biden Administration that aims to be a "worker-centered" trade policy in the attempt to counter China's growing economic and political dominance by partnering with several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). There are four major pillars of the framework: trade; supply chains; clean energy, decarbonization, and infrastructure; and tax and anti-corruption. The 13 countries of the IPEF are: Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Now that we have caught up on what the IPEF is and the countries that are set to join, why is it controversial?

Several of the countries involved have major labor rights abuse practices and the U.S. State and Labor Department documents and reports every year major human rights concerns. Why would the U.S partner with countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam that do not commit in upholding to upholding labor and human rights standards? In order to gain profit and cut down labor costs as well as compete with China, the Biden Administration would rather partner with countries that contradict its own labor practices and human rights standards.