China-ASEAN Digital Economy Cooperation
Authors
Zhang Jia

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Annotation
The digital economy has become an important driver of regional economic development. Against the backdrop of deepening traditional economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN, the digital economy has gradually emerged as a new area of cooperation. This paper analyzes the development of China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation, focusing on cooperation in digital infrastructure, cross-border e-commerce, and digital technologies. It also examines the impact of relevant institutional arrangements on bilateral cooperation by analyzing the e-commerce rules under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). The study finds that China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation has made certain progress, but still faces practical challenges, including uneven development of digital infrastructure, differences in data regulatory rules, and competition in digital technologies. Both sides need to strengthen coordination of digital rules, infrastructure development, and cooperation in emerging technologies in order to inject new impetus into regional digital economy cooperation.
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Authors
Zhang Jia

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References:
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