Asia is gaining strategic, economic importance, says Thai leader | South China Morning Post

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thursday that a new US-backed economic pact is further proof of how important and relevant Asia is today. "Asia is still expanding and gaining more influence in terms of strategic and economic importance," Prayuth said. US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced earlier in the week during a visit by Biden to Japan that 13 countries have joined the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a new trade pact that will help the United States work more closely with Asian economies on issues including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and anticorruption efforts….