Trade Rules for Digital Technology Standards

As the landscape of international trade undergoes dramatic changes driven by digital transformation, digital technology standards are increasingly recognized as essential tools for facilitating digital trade. This chapter explores the emergence of standard-related norms contained in recently concluded digital trade agreements and provides a comprehensive overview of the provisions aimed at facilitating e-business and e-commerce, enabling secure data flows, and promoting innovation and development. The core analysis focuses on the standards-related rules within the Korea–Singapore Digital Partnership Agreement. The chapter concludes that the diversification of standards-related rules and the growing interplay between the international trading system and international standardizing efforts must be carefully addressed in future digital trade negotiations.