ASEAN ministers sign agreement on e-commerce

Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently agreed to a cooperation framework to support the development of a digital economy through e-commerce schemes.

The agreement was signed by ASEAN trade ministers at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore after nine rounds of negotiations involving ASEAN member country representatives.

It is the region’s first agreement to facilitate cross-border e-commerce transactions, according to Singaporean trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing.

Discussions on the agreement had begun in June last year, according to an Indonesian newspaper report.

The agreement aims to facilitate cross-border e-commerce transactions, create an environment of trust and confidence in the use of e-commerce and to deepen cooperation among ASEAN member states to further develop and intensify the use of e-commerce to drive regional economic growth. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian countries. The member nations are Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos.