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Reports

April 2026

APEC Workshop: Towards Digital Trade Ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific Region

Published Under

Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI)

Accessed

2

Pages

35

This report summarizes the outcomes of the 2025 APEC Workshop "Towards a Digital Trade Ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific Region," held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two-day event brought together over 100 policymakers, technical experts, private sector leaders, and representatives from international organizations to assess regional readiness for cross-border digital trade. Four sessions addressed legal and technical foundations, negotiation and implementation of digital trade provisions, institutional capacity gaps, and challenges facing MSME participation. The report identifies ongoing issues such as fragmented regulatory frameworks, limited system interoperability, legacy IT constraints, and high compliance burdens for MSMEs. It highlights five best practices, including adopting UNCITRAL legal instruments, implementing paperless trade systems, and institutionalizing public–private dialogue. The report also presents five recommendations for future capacity building: regulator training programs, cross-border pilot projects, MSME compliance toolkits, technical assistance for system integration, and establishing a regional digital trade knowledge hub.