Washington DC – In advance of the upcoming round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in San Diego, Calif., the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and 12 other leading business groups today released a statement on promoting cross-border information and data flows in the agreement.
To follow is an excerpt:
“… The growth in the development and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) has been a major driver of economic growth, dynamism, job creation, productivity, and competitiveness for industries across all sectors of the global economy. With this rapid growth, businesses are increasingly using digital platforms to reach and sell to new customers in the TPP countries and around the world.
“… To compete effectively in international markets, enterprises and individuals need to be assured that they can move and maintain information and data across borders in a reliable and secure manner. It is therefore critical that the TPP negotiations ensure that trade and investment rules promote, rather than inhibit, the growth of the digital economy.
“Given the economic importance of international flows of data and information to the region, the TPP negotiations should produce legally binding commitments to:
- “Permit cross-border information and data flows, while ensuring that privacy and intellectual property rights are protected.
- “Allow business enterprises from the TPP parties to transact business through e-commerce platforms without establishing a commercial presence in each country.
- “Prohibit requirements to use local computing infrastructure, such as servers, as a condition for doing business or investment in a TPP country or engaging in e-commerce or cross-border trade. …”
To read the full statement, click
here.
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About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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