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e-commerce | digital economy

US agenda revealed at IPEF talks in Bali
5-Apr-2023 AFTINET
The summaries of US inputs at the recent Bali round of negotiations for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) reveal US pressure of the other 13 states to adopt US standards.
‘Chile is looking to include digital services as well in trade agreement with India’: Alex Wetzig
5-Apr-2023 The Indian Express
Following the recent agreement between Chile and India for cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors, Chile is looking to expand its trade basket with India, Alex Wetzig, Secretary General, Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Singapore and EU sign digital trade agreement
4-Apr-2023 ASEAN Briefing
Singapore and the EU signed a digital trade agreement in February, making it the fifth of its kind signed by the city-state.
EU digital trade rules: undermining attempts to rein in Big Tech
28-Mar-2023 The Left in the European Parliament
This report shows how Big Tech companies are working to constrain the ability of EU democratic bodies to regulate their activities in the public interest through “trade” agreements, which are binding and permanent.
India-UK trade talks home in on digital trade, investor protection
23-Mar-2023 Nikkei Asia
Indian and British negotiators will be seeking a landing zone on digital trade and investor protection as they hold another round of free trade talks in New Delhi.
Ukraine and UK sign agreement on digital trade
21-Mar-2023 Interfax
This new generation trade agreement focuses primarily on preventing the emergence of barriers in the future, as states in the world are increasingly regulating the digital sphere.
Advocates urge US not to offer ‘Big-Tech-favored terms’ in trade talks
16-Mar-2023 The Washington Post
Consumer advocates are urging the Biden administration to scrub language from a US trade proposal they say could undermine efforts to hold tech giants accountable for their privacy practices, according to a letter shared first with The Technology 202.
Latest round of IPEF talks get underway
14-Mar-2023 Politico
US trade officials are in Bali, Indonesia, this week for the latest round of negotiations over the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The rise of trade in services: corporate manoeuvres and popular resistance
6-Mar-2023 bilaterals.org
The idea of ‘Trade in services’ is an artificial creation of the late 1970s and 1980s, designed to bring the social and public phenomenon of services under international ‘trade’ rules that would work for corporations.
Rigging the rules: How Big Tech uses stealth “trade” agreements and how we can stop them
2-Mar-2023 Third World Network
Efforts to curb the ruinous business practices of the Big Tech corporations are at risk of being impeded by “digital trade” rules negotiated in international trade pacts. It is time to overturn this anti-regulatory agenda in favour of a governance model that prioritizes digital industrialization and data as a public good.
Emerging issues in the IPEF trade negotiations: A critical summary
28-Feb-2023 Ibon International
The US is trying to present IPEF as a rethinking of the aggressive trade liberalisation model it championed for the last four decades. At its core, however, IPEF appears to be mainly a geopolitical tool for the US to maintain its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific.
Pakistan, US agree to remove trade barriers and boost ties
24-Feb-2023 Gulf News
Appoint ‘focal persons’, Islamabad looks forward to boost partnership in IT, technology.
Singapore starts talks on digital trade agreement with European Free Trade Association
17-Feb-2023 The Straits Times
The proposed digital agreement will allow Singapore and the EFTA to cooperate more fully in the digital domain, enable trusted data flows and facilitate a secure digital environment.
AFL-CIO wants bigger say in US digital trade deals for workers
8-Feb-2023 Yahoo
The largest US labor organization issued a set of principles that it says is needed to protect workers, the public’s privacy and governments’ ability to regulate a rapidly evolving sector as the USTR negotiates digital trade agreements.
US to aggressively push for digital trade rules in Asia in 2023
25-Jan-2023 Nikkei Asia
The goal is to quickly create shared rules for the region, particularly in the digital sector, and to regain the initiative in the US-China contest for economic leadership in Asia.
S. Korea, Singapore to implement digital partnership pact this weekend
13-Jan-2023 Yonhap
South Korea and Singapore plan to officially kick off their bilateral digital partnership pact this weekend in a move to boost digital trade and industry cooperation, Seoul’s trade ministry said.
S. Korea seeks to sign over 10 free trade deals this year
11-Jan-2023 Yonhap
South Korea will push to clinch free trade agreements with more than 10 nations and a trade promotion framework with over 20 nations this year in an effort to boost growth momentum and diversify its trade portfolio, the trade ministry said.
No higher priority: Why IPEF must include strong digital trade rules
8-Dec-2022 US Chamber of Commerce
The US business community will turn this week to Brisbane, Australia, which will host the first formal negotiating round of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
Women’s rights organisations and allies oppose the gender "upskilling initiative" as an IPEF carrot
6-Dec-2022 IT for Change
IT for Change, Public Services International (Asia & Pacific) and Third World Network, with the undersigned women’s rights organisations, labour unions, and allies, oppose the use of Big Tech “upskilling” initiatives for women to encourage countries to sign on to the IPEF.
Ukraine strikes digital trade agreement with Britain
30-Nov-2022 Reuters
Britain said it had agreed in principle a digital trade deal with Ukraine, the eastern European country’s first such agreement.