There have been moves to include digital trade issues including at a global, regional and bilateral level
1) Free trade agreements which include digital trade rules:
- World Trade Organisation – In recent years e-commerce issues have become more controversial in the WTO.
- CPTPP – The Trans-Pacific Partnership (now CPTPP) was the first regional agreement to include a substantial digital trade chapter.
- USMCA – The US-Mexico-Canada agreement includes a significant digital trade chapter
- RCEP – Agreement made up of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China.
- DEPA – A “standalone” agreement on the digital economy
- US FTA
- EU FTA
- Japan FTA
2) Global digital regulation, which also impacts on the global governance of digital:
- Digital tax – Principally the OECD process
- WTO TFA – Trade facilitation agreement that impacts aspects of digital trade
Image Credit: Leaders at TPP agreement – Gobierno de Chile – CC BY 2.0