KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and 69 other World Trade Organisation (WTO) members aim to advance electronic commerce work to enhance the benefits of electronic commerce for businesses and consumers internationally.
International Trade & Industry Ministry (MITI) said this is in recognition of the important role of the WTO in promoting open, transparent, non-discriminatory and predictable regulatory environment in facilitating trade.
“Malaysia views the work programme in WTO as an important impetus to facilitate further integration of small businesses into the global trading system,” MITI said in a statement.
MITI said the group will initiate exploratory work towards future WTO negotiations on trade-related aspects of electronic commerce.
Participation shall be open to all WTO Members and will be without prejudice to participants’ position in future negotiations, it added.
The first meeting by the group is expected to commence in the first quarter of next year.
MITI said electronic commerce can help lower barriers to entry and operating costs for businesses, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
With the recently launched Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) initiative and the National e-Commerce Strategic Roadmap, Malaysia has already institutionalised key trade facilitation measures to boost cross-border exports by SMEs including introducing less burdensome documentation requirements and processes, as well as providing reduced time for cargo clearance to enable SMEs to integrate into the global value chain.