The Asia-Pacific digital trade panorama is evolving rapidly. Several countries such as Australia and Singapore have been forming digital trade and digital economy agreements with each other; in July 2023 the UK joined the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and numerous countries including China have requested to follow; and in September the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is negotiating the Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
Meanwhile, strong headwinds are gathering – the regional digital policy landscape is increasingly fragmented as restrictive data transfer and other policies emerge and some countries still fall short of meeting their digital trade obligations. And in a major blow, the United States appears to be retreating: the U.S.-backed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) did not make expected progress with digital trade 2023, and in October the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) reversed U.S. support for key IPEF and WTO digital trade rules, on cross-border flow of data, data localization, and protection of source code.
This panel will discuss the prospects of the Asia-Pacific digital trade agenda, the status of the implementation of key agreements such as the CPTPP, and the prospects for a robust IPEF in light of the USTR’s decision and imminent U.S. elections.
This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.
Panelists:
Kati Suominen, CEO, Nextrade Group; Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS
Jonathan McHale, Vice President, Digital Trade, Computer and Communications Industry Association
Benjamin Ang, Senior Fellow, Head of Centre of Excellence for National Security; Head, Digital Impact Research, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Juliana Nam, Minister-Counsellor, Trade, Embassy of Australia
Moderator: William Alan Reinsch, Senior Adviser and Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS
