ISDS Case Map
digital economy | e-commerce
White House officials are discussing proposals for a digital trade agreement covering Indo-Pacific economies as the administration seeks ways to check China’s influence in the region.
It is still too early to hail a digital economy agreement between Singapore and Vietnam. And it will be an even longer road before Vietnam can align itself with Singapore’s digital trade standards so that both nations can reap the full benefits of any potential agreement.
Singapore and the United Kingdom have negotiation talks on a digital economy agreement, UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (UKSDEA).
Vietnam and Singapore have agreed to promote the early establishment of a joint technical working group on a digital partnership, towards a bilateral agreement on digital economy.
In this competition over standards, whichever nation first strikes a trilateral deal with technology leaders Japan and South Korea will secure a strategic chokepoint in the digital architecture of Asia.
The organizations said including a legal shield for tech companies in trade deals “reflects a broad effort by the big tech platforms to use ‘trade negotiations’ to limit domestic policy options.”
South Korea held a public hearing on its bid to join a global pact on the digital trade sector that covers a wider array of issues beyond conventional free trade agreements.
US Trade Representative has raised digital trade as an area of potential future cooperation in her coversations thus far with Asian partners.
Trade officials in the meeting of the US-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) discussed the importance of digital trade for achieving broad-based inclusive economic growth and innovation.
Some WTO Members are negotiating rules on ecommerce. This is the draft consolidated text as of 14 December 2020.
