City Research Online

Abstract

This chapter considers the main features of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) which have addressed digital trade. It notes the difference between rules on conventional e-commerce and rules on trade in data, exploring bans on customs duties on electronic transmissions and data localization. It also examines the important issues of privacy and data protection as exceptions to these commitments, which have led to a rising sense of protectionism in the growing sphere of digital trade. The chapter highlights the emphasis on cooperation and interoperability in digital trade governance regimes found in instruments such as the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the digital only Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). The chapter concludes with the tentative observation of emerging norms in the field of digital trade, noting also that digital trade captures the growing trend of regionalism in international economic law wherein greater progress is being made among smaller groupings of states rather than multilaterally.

Publication Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Routledge Handbook on International Economic Law on 16 October 2025, available online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003399711 It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory J Political Science > JX International law K Law > KZ Law of Nations
Departments:	The City Law School The City Law School > Academic Programmes The City Law School > International Law and Affairs Group
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

Export

Downloads