Evolving digital and E-commerce trade rules for Northeast Asia

de Deborah Kay Elms, Taeoe Kyŏngje Chŏngch'aek Yŏn'guwŏn (Korea)

This paper tracks the rapidly evolving landscape for digital trade and e-commerce across five Northeast Asian economies: China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. These five countries are at the cutting edge of the digital revolution with increasingly wired citizens and innovative companies offering a staggering range of products and services. The paper examines several business and consumer important trends of note, including the rapid explosion of e-commerce generally, the shift to online and mobile purchases, the proliferation of data and challenges of managing data flows across borders, and new disruptive technologies like fintech, 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT). Each of these trends highlights the growing challenges to regulators in continuing to apply existing rules and legislation created for off-line applications to a digital world.