The third annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 28-29 as the US seeks to advance geopolitical and economic interests in this dynamic region.

US Secretary of Commerce W. Ross speaks at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok, November 2019. Photo: AFP

No Vietnamese parties have made any similar announcement.

Government and business leaders from the United States, Vietnam, and across the Indo-Pacific will discuss energy and infrastructure, the digital economy, market connectivity, health and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and US-Indo-Pacific partnerships and commercial opportunities.

The forum will showcase high-impact private sector investment and government efforts to support market competition, job growth, and high-standard development for greater prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, the US State Department said.

“The forum advances a vision for the Indo-Pacific as a free and open region composed of nations that are independent, strong, and prosperous,” adds the statement.

IPBF was initiated in 2018 and is considered the economic pillar in the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

The first edition was held in Washington D.C. in July 2018 with the participation of representatives from Japan, Australia, Singapore, India and Indonesia. The latest hosting took place in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2019 with over 1,000 executives and government officials from the US and Indo-Pacific countries.