The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) hosted the APEC FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on E-commerce Elements in FTAs/RTAs (Phase 2), in joint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for two days from September 8 (Wed) to 9 (Thu). The workshop was held as part of the Negotiation Capability Enhancement Project for Regional Economic Integration, an initiative led by Korea at APEC, and was designed to contribute to the liberalization of trade investment and economic integration discussions by strengthening APEC member officials' negotiation capabilities in the e-commerce sector.

The workshop, hosted by Director Jang Yungshin of the National Center for APEC Studies at KIEP, was held in an online and offline mixed format. The workshop consisted of a total of six sessions, focused on “Trends in Establishing New E-Commerce Standards,” “Trends and Prospects in Discussions on WTO E-Commerce Negotiations,” “Sharing Working Experience in Negotiating Countries,” “Industry Opportunities and Challenges Following the Spread of E-Commerce Standards,” and “APEC Cross-border Privacy Rules and Digital Platform Competition Issues.”

Deputy Minister Lee Seong-ho of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed in his opening speech that it is crucial to improve APEC member officials' understanding of the e-commerce sector to realize APEC regional economic integration after the global pandemic, which is accelerating digital transformation. In the second session, Director Victor Luiz Do Prado of the Council Division and Trade Negotiations Committee of the WTO Secretariat presented trends in WTO e-commerce negotiations and shared the anticipated results of the 12th WTO Ministerial Meeting.

Professor Lee Jaemin and Professor Ahn Dukgeun of Seoul National University respectively chaired the workshop on the first and second day. Professor Choi Jay Pil of the University of Michigan, Professor Lee Hyo-young of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Director Shannon Coe of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and officials from Singapore, Canada, Indonesia, Chile, and entrepreneurs from AT&T and the United Parcel Services (UPS) attended as speakers to provide valuable and insightful information.

A total of more than 70 APEC member officials actively participated in the workshop, which was completed successfully. Through this workshop, KIEP provided an opportunity to contribute to APEC regional economic integration by enhancing the interest and understanding of APEC member officials in e-commerce.

- Title: APEC FTAAP Capacity Building Workshop on E-commerce Elements in FTAs/RTAs (Phase 2)

- Date: September 8-9, 2021

- Host: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)

- Contact: Soyoung Kwak, Senior Researcher, National Center for APEC Studies (sykwak@kiep.go.kr)