India is working on its arguments against framing of global e-commerce and digital economy regulations that Japan would like to be included in the G-20 declaration in Osaka in June. New Delhi is not expected to allow e-commerce to be part of the G-20 declaration as it has been trying hard to keep it off the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiating table.

Although the launch of plurilateral talks on e-commerce between 75 countries was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, India decided not to be even an observer at the talks.

As Japan, which has already indicated its intention to push for framing of global rules on e-commerce, is the chair of the G-20, it is probable that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will try his best to ensure that the declaration at the end of the meet articulates the intention of all members to work towards a multilateral e-commerce agreement, an Indian Government official told a top business newspaper.

Abe had said in his Davis speech that the G-20 meet would seek to rebuild trust towards the system of global trade and would focus on areas like e-commerce and intellectual property.

If the G-20’s Osaka declaration mentions favourably about global rules on e-commerce, the pressure on India and other non-participating members of the WTO to include themselves in the negotiations will rise, the unnamed official felt.

The developed world first raises and makes a point about an issue at the G-20 and later tries to get it accepted at the WTO, the official added.

At a WTO meeting on e-commerce last October, Indian representative reportedly stated that developing countries cannot take on global commitments as they needed policy space in areas such as ownership and use and flow of data in sunrise sectors like cloud computing and data storage. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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