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WDEF Launches Hainan Center to Support Regional Collaboration on Digital Trade, Data Governance, and Capacity Building
18Jan

WDEF Launches Hainan Center to Support Regional Collaboration on Digital Trade, Data Governance, and Capacity Building

The World Digital Economy Federation (WDEF) announced the establishment of its Hainan Center as a regional hub designed to advance practical cooperation on digital economy priorities, with an initial focus on digital trade enablement, data governance dialogue, and capacity building for partners across Asia and beyond. Positioned in Hainan—an area…

World Digital Economy Federation Announces Its Establishment to Advance Inclusive, Secure, and Sustainable Digital Growth
18Jan

World Digital Economy Federation Announces Its Establishment to Advance Inclusive, Secure, and Sustainable Digital Growth

The World Digital Economy Federation (WDEF) today announced its establishment as an independent, non-profit platform dedicated to supporting international dialogue and practical cooperation on the policies, standards, and partnerships that shape the digital economy. WDEF was created in response to a simple reality: digital transformation is accelerating across every sector,…

UNCTAD Policy Brief Urges Strategic National AI Policies Built Around Infrastructure, Data, and Skills
18Jan

UNCTAD Policy Brief Urges Strategic National AI Policies Built Around Infrastructure, Data, and Skills

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has published Policy Brief No. 120, “Preparing to seize artificial intelligence opportunities with strategic national policies,” drawing on its Technology and Innovation Report 2025. The brief’s message is that AI is reshaping competitiveness quickly—and that developing countries, in particular, cannot rely on ad-hoc pilots alone.…

ITU and World Bank Publish Practical Guide on Greening Data Centers as Energy Demand Accelerates
18Jan

ITU and World Bank Publish Practical Guide on Greening Data Centers as Energy Demand Accelerates

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Bank have released “Green Data Centers: Towards a Sustainable Digital Transformation — A Practitioner’s Guide,” a policy-and-implementation oriented publication that tackles a straightforward challenge: data centers are now core national infrastructure, but their growth can translate into significant pressure on electricity systems,…

OECD Paper Maps the Rapid Rise of Rules Shaping Cross-Border Flows of Non-Personal Data
18Jan

OECD Paper Maps the Rapid Rise of Rules Shaping Cross-Border Flows of Non-Personal Data

An OECD trade policy working paper has taken a systematic look at a growing—often overlooked—policy trend: the expanding number of domestic measures that affect cross-border access to and sharing of non-personal data (NPD). While debates on data transfers frequently focus on privacy and personal information, the OECD argues that NPD…

CAICT’s “Data Element Development Report (2025)” Maps the Full Data Value Chain—From Supply to Security—in an AI-Driven Economy
18Jan

CAICT’s “Data Element Development Report (2025)” Maps the Full Data Value Chain—From Supply to Security—in an AI-Driven Economy

China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), through its Cloud Computing & Big Data Research Institute, has published the “Data Element Development Report (2025),” a research report that takes stock of how China’s data-factor agenda is evolving in practice. The report’s central framing is straightforward: data value is not…

MOFCOM Releases the “2025 Report on China’s Development of Digital Trade” with a Focus on Policy Implementation and Practical Pathways
18Jan

MOFCOM Releases the “2025 Report on China’s Development of Digital Trade” with a Focus on Policy Implementation and Practical Pathways

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has released the “2025 Report on China’s Development of Digital Trade” as a comprehensive review of how digital trade is evolving globally and in China, and how policy is being translated into concrete local practice. The report was officially introduced during the Global Digital Trade…

CAICT Publishes “Digital Trade Development and Cooperation Report (2025)” Highlighting Openness and Rules-Shaping Priorities
18Jan

CAICT Publishes “Digital Trade Development and Cooperation Report (2025)” Highlighting Openness and Rules-Shaping Priorities

At the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) Service Trade Development Forum, the Development Research Center of the State Council’s Department of External Economic Research and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) released the “Digital Trade Development and Cooperation Report (2025).” The publication is…

UK Accreditation Moves AI Assurance Forward as BSI Becomes First UKAS-Accredited ISO/IEC 42001 Certification Body
18Jan

UK Accreditation Moves AI Assurance Forward as BSI Becomes First UKAS-Accredited ISO/IEC 42001 Certification Body

Artificial intelligence assurance is beginning to look more “infrastructure-like” as accreditation frameworks catch up with fast-growing demand for AI audits. In a notable milestone for standards-based AI governance, BSI announced that it has become the first certification body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)—and also accredited by the…

EFTA States and Singapore Sign Digital Economy Agreement to Advance Digital Trade
18Jan

EFTA States and Singapore Sign Digital Economy Agreement to Advance Digital Trade

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States and Singapore signed the EFTA–Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) on 25 September 2025 in Bern. The deal is designed to strengthen digital connectivity and make it easier for businesses—especially SMEs—to trade and operate across borders using digital channels. Importantly, the DEA is intended…

China Releases Official Q&A Clarifying Cross-Border Data Transfer Compliance (October 2025)
18Jan

China Releases Official Q&A Clarifying Cross-Border Data Transfer Compliance (October 2025)

China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published an official “Data Export Security Management Policy Q&A (October 2025)” to address common compliance questions businesses have raised when handling cross-border data transfers. Rather than introducing a new standalone regime, the Q&A helps organizations interpret and apply existing rules more consistently—especially around exemptions,…

China Sets a Certification Route for Cross-Border Personal Information Transfers (Effective 1 Jan 2026)
18Jan

China Sets a Certification Route for Cross-Border Personal Information Transfers (Effective 1 Jan 2026)

China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) have released the Measures for the Certification of Outbound Transfer of Personal Information, creating a clearer “certification” pathway for certain cross-border personal information transfers. The Measures take effect on 1 January 2026. In practical terms, this…

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