The regime complex for digital trade in Asia and China’s engagement

Abstract

The rapid development of information and communication technologies over the past two decades has resulted in profound transformations in traditional economic and trade activities, leading to the scaling of digital trade across the Asian region and beyond. Drawing on the conceptual framework of the regime complex, this article seeks to delineate the main features of regional digital trade governance in the Asian region and China’s engagement with the regime-building process in this policy field. It demonstrates that the digital trade governance landscape in Asian countries comprises a collection of partially overlapping and nonhierarchical regimes, where different regional actors are formulating competing visions and approaches to digital trade governance. In addition, the dynamic nature of the digital trade regime complex in Asia and China’s evolving approach to digital trade governance is mutually constitutive. By selectively liberalizing in certain contexts while remaining conservative in others, China contributes to a more complex and less cohesive regional digital trade environment. China’s emphasis on standard-setting efforts and security considerations introduces additional complexities to the regime complex, potentially impeding the development of comprehensive governance regimes for digital trade in the region.