Singapore, Chile, New Zealand Conclude Digital Trade Deal

Singapore recently finished negotiations with Chile and New Zealand on a digital trade agreement, according to a Jan. 24 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The agreement will “boost trade,” improve the use of “electronic documentation for cross border-trade” and establish protocols for “e-invoicing, personal information protection, cybersecurity, online consumer protection, digital identities, fintech, artificial intelligence, data flows and data innovation,” the report said. The framework will also allow the customs agencies of the three countries to share electronic trade documents by connecting their respective national single windows, the report said. The countries have “committed” to ratify the agreement by April, but a formal date has not yet been announced.