In first WTO e-commerce meeting, U.S. stresses ‘same obligations’ for all

In an initial e-commerce plurilateral negotiating round this week, the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization warned participants against settling for “an agreement for agreement’s sake” instead of a “high-standard” deal that would apply to all participating countries. In January, 76 WTO members announced their intent to launch e-commerce talks . They included China, which the U.S. has accused of maintaining barriers to digital trade like data localization requirements. “As U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer noted in January, this...