ASEAN and the Regime Complex for Digital Trade in the Asia-Pacific

How does the complexity and fragmentation of digital trade governance shape the digital trade strategies of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? And how are these strategies, in turn, shaping digital governance in the region? Drawing on the regime complexity literature in international relations, this article examines the different digital strategies used by three ASEAN members – Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia – to navigate between the regulatory approaches of the United States and China. The article highlights the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) as a key venue for increasing cooperation and consistency of digital trade rules in the Asia-Pacific. If the US pushes for a binding digital trade agreement as part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), the loose, modular cooperation of DEPA would become more attractive to ASEAN members. Yet, even a modest DEPA that chooses to emphasize breadth of membership over deep liberalization would still represent progress in reducing regime complexity.
digital trade, e-commerce, cross-border data flows, regime complex, ASEAN, Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia