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digital economy | e-commerce

AfCFTA: Digital trade protocol and annexes (Jun 2025)
22-Apr-2026 AfCFTA Secretariat
China signal push to upgrade Switzerland FTA, expanding trade to services, digital sectors
21-Apr-2026 Investinglive
China pushes to upgrade Switzerland trade deal, expanding ties into services and digital economy.
How India’s new free trade agreement with the EU limits AI governance
20-Apr-2026 Tech Policy
The India–EU FTA’s formulation of source‑code and algorithmic provisions appears to narrow India’s policy authority, as it shifts the balance towards post‑incident enforcement and away from proactive oversight, at a time when India’s scale and diversity require the opposite.
‘Expect more pressure’: How the Trump administration is bullying the world on behalf of big tech
10-Apr-2026 Crikey
At least ten countries signed off deals or frameworks designed to benefit American tech companies in 2025.
The e-commerce plurilateral reveals the backdoor strategy to adopt JSIs
8-Apr-2026
Arguably, the most significant outcome from the World Trade Organization’s “reform” ministerial conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon in March 2026 was the adoption by a sub-group of 66 Members of a plurilateral agreement on electronic commerce.
Africa’s digital trade push requires 700 data centres, says AfCFTA chief
8-Apr-2026 Punch
Africa will need more than 700 data centres to support the digital trade architecture envisioned under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said.
UK and Ghana collaborate to build pioneering Neofingo digital trade finance corridor
4-Apr-2026 Joy Online
ODI Global, in partnership with government’s 24-Hour Economy Authority, the AfCFTA Secretariat, has announced the development of a network and protocol called Neofingo at a forum held simultaneously in London and Accra.
One year of Trump tariffs prove corporate profits always came before the public interest
3-Apr-2026 Common Dreams
The 2026 NTE Report makes it clear that the Trump administration’s primary motivation behind its trade policy is to protect the profits of big US companies.
Comparing the digital trade provisions in the new US trade deals
3-Apr-2026 International Economic Law and Policy Blog
Focus on certain digital trade provisions in the nine agreements for which we now have the full legal text.
MC14: JSI plurilateral on e-commerce concludes without US participation
30-Mar-2026 Third World Network
A large group comprising some 66 countries on 28 March announced the conclusion of their Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) “Declaration on Interim Arrangements for Agreement on Electronic Commerce”.
EU and CPTPP agree to progress with "historic" digital trade deal, Canada’s international trade minister says
30-Mar-2026 Reuters
The European Union and the parties to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed on Friday to move ​forward with reaching a "historic" digital trade agreement between both ​trading blocs.
A tax moratorium to enable a foreign AI invasion
23-Mar-2026 The Hindu
The push for a permanent moratorium signals the US’s bid to dominate the AI-driven global economy.
The new containment doctrine: How the United States is using trade to stop digital regulation
20-Mar-2026 CSIS
Using tariff threats as leverage, the United States is transforming what has been a domestic regulatory choice into a negotiable trade concession, seeking to establish precedents that will shape digital governance negotiations for years.
ASEAN digital economy negotiators convene in Manila to advance landmark regional digital trade agreement
12-Mar-2026 PIA
The meetings brought together lead negotiators and legal experts from ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat to advance discussions on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
Lee, Singapore PM agree to launch FTA upgrade talks, strengthen AI cooperation
12-Mar-2026 Yonhap News Agency
President Lee Jae Myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed to launch negotiations to upgrade their countries’ free trade agreement (FTA) and step up cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) during summit talks.
US reciprocal tariffs is illegal, Agreement of Reciprocal Trade must not be ratified
12-Mar-2026 Koalisi Masyarakat untuk Keadilan Ekonomi
The Civil Society Coalition for Economic Justice (Koalisi MKE) urges President Prabowo Subianto not to ratify the reciprocal trade agreement (ART) between Indonesia and the United States (US) signed on February 19, 2026. The 19% tariff reduction obtained by Indonesia in this agreement is not commensurate with the surrender of the country’s sovereignty to US interests.
Seychelles partner with AfCFTA to develop digital trade hub
9-Mar-2026 Wearetech.africa
The AfCFTA Secretariat, Quest Ghana Limited, and the Seychelles government signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the archipelago as a digital trade hub. The initiative focuses on integrating Seychellois businesses into Africa’s digital value chains.
Canada signing agreement with EU to enhance free trade deal
6-Mar-2026 CBC
Trade ministers from Canada and the European Union are set to sign on to a series of improvements to their bilateral trade agreement. Negotiations to add digital trade provisions begin Thursday.
India-EU FTA: What the deal means for digital trade and intellectual property rights
2-Mar-2026 The Week
The deal points to creating a secure digital trade environment by promoting paperless transactions and cyber-security .
New analysis of US-Indonesia trade deal in light of repealed tariffs
27-Feb-2026 Public Citizen
This so-called ‘deal’ is a one-sided neocolonial trap that locks Indonesia into binding, economy-wide concessions to benefit large U.S. corporate interests.