Digital trade is becoming a new engine for trade growth, a new plateau for institutional innovation and a new focus for international cooperation among the SCO countries。
The China-SCO Round Table on Digital Trade held on the sidelines of the 2022 Services Trade Conference, with the theme of "Strengthening digital cooperation for unimpeded trade", aims to strengthen digital trade exchanges among SCO member states, build consensus and promote cooperation。Representatives of China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and other SCO member states held dialogues online and offline。
In the past few years, SCO member states have closely followed the trend of digital development and deepened cooperation in smart cities, telemedicine, smart manufacturing and other fields, achieving positive results。According to the statistics of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in 2020, the size of trade in services that can be digitally delivered by SCO member states will reach 5,931.$200 million, an increase of 4.9%。
In the field of digital trade, China has a good industrial foundation and a huge market space。In 2020, the trade volume of services that can be delivered digitally in China will reach 2,939.$800 million, the world's fifth largest。A relevant official of the Ministry of Commerce said that China is willing to continue to share market opportunities and development experience with SCO member states within the framework of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Digital Security Initiative, continue to deepen practical cooperation in digital trade, enhance economic resilience and improve people's well-being。In June this year, China formally put forward the draft Joint Initiative on Strengthening Cooperation in Digital Trade among the SCO economic and trade departments.。"We look forward to all parties reaching an agreement on the initiative at an early date, making it one of the templates for agreements related to global digital trade cooperation, giving voice to the SCO in the field of international digital trade, and contributing to the SCO strength.。”
Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, also said that China has accumulated useful experience in the digital economy, especially in digital trade and cross-border e-commerce, and has actively shared the results with other SCO countries。It is believed that with the support and efforts of all parties, mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of digital trade will help foster an atmosphere of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits among SCO members, promote regional security, stability and sustainable development, and open up broader prospects for the joint implementation of multilateral concepts such as the global development initiative。
Digital trade in Kyrgyzstan is in its infancy。At present, the country is committed to promoting and accelerating the development of digital trade, which is also an important and new direction for its economic development。Isayeva Veronika Vladimirovna, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan, said: "We are willing to cooperate with all partners in digital trade。We are working hard to build Kyrgyzstan into a Central Asian digital hub and have made great achievements in policy and regulation。For example, actively optimize national regulation and improve the business environment to create favorable conditions for the development of digital trade。In addition, we are working on a plan for the Support and Development of Digital Trade in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2022-2027.。”
"In order to revive the economy and follow the path of sustainable economic growth, we need to innovate aggressively, especially in the field of digitalization。We propose the establishment of an SCO electronic platform to promote trade cooperation among countries。Mohammad Farooq, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan, said that in recent years, the Pakistan Trade Development Authority and the Ministry of Commerce have introduced a series of measures to support digital transformation to promote economic growth and sustainable development。For example, a national e-commerce policy was adopted in 2019 to establish an e-commerce ecosystem。At the same time, in cooperation with the State Bank of Pakistan, the B2B2C framework has been launched to facilitate the sale of Pakistani goods on international e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Jingdong Mall。"We are ready to interact closely with the SCO member states and further strengthen cooperation to ensure regional development to promote socio-economic development and improve people's well-being.。"Farouk said。
While digital trade has many advantages, it also faces many challenges, including regulatory difficulties。Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Specialized Projects of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Stappland, said that the development of cross-border digital trade provides a great opportunity for Russia to increase trade volume and promote trade diversification。Russia has established standards for cooperation between digital trade websites and sellers of goods。The rules and norms in these documents provide a basis for resolving and avoiding disputes。In August, digital trade websites created a common information system containing information about fake sellers to prevent their spread。"We are willing to share successful experiences within the SCO region, expand the scope of application of digital trade websites, and provide new opportunities for SCO countries to participate in international trade.。”
(Source: International Business Daily)