E-commerce negotiators have completed their "technical discussions" and are now outlining the next steps towards concluding the negotiations. Ambassador James Baxter of Australia expressed satisfaction with the progress made, stating, "I think it's safe to say that as a group, we achieved our objective for the week of resolving all the technical issues required to move this negotiation to the final decision-making phase."
Ambassador Hung Seng Tan of Singapore emphasized the significance of the negotiations, highlighting, "Members have participated actively, contributed constructively, and developed successfully a substantive and credible package of digital trade rules which we have stabilised in our Chairs’ Text." He also noted the importance of creating baseline digital trade rules to provide legal predictability and certainty in the growing e-commerce sector.
Ambassador Atsuyuki Oike of Japan outlined the future milestones, indicating that the final version of the Chairs' text will be circulated to members for their input and domestic consultations. The aim is to conclude the negotiations by the end of May, with plans to incorporate the outcome into the WTO framework in July.
During the last technical discussion, members focused on various articles including final provisions, scope, customs duties, and provisions on cryptography, development, and e-payments. It was decided that the article on information and communications technology (ICT) products using cryptography will not be included in the Chairs' text moving forward. Work will continue in the coming weeks to address remaining outstanding issues.