Three-day 'E-business Summit & AFACT 2018' concluded on Friday aiming to strengthen trade facilitation in the Asia Pacific region.
The Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (AFACT) is promoted by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business.
The council's 'E-business Summit' started at a city hotel on Wednesday.
Dr Eva Yi-Yuan Yueh, AFACT SIC member, Taiwan, Supachok Jantarapatin, AFACT SIC member, Thailand, Hisanao Sugamata, AFACT SIC member, Japan and Kanenori Kedoin, director, JASTPRO, Japan, among other foreign delegates, were present at the summit.
Local and foreign participants discussed and shared their experiences on different initiatives of the trade facilitation measures in different countries.
AFACT, in association with Bangladesh Computer Samity, ICT Business Promotional Council and the Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services, organised the 'E-business Summit' and 'AFACT 2018'.
Dr Eva said issues of data, competition principle changes, knowledge intensive flows, proliferation trading by Micro-multinational and SMEs, Fintech and cross border financial flow, internet of things, sharing economy, 3D printing and additive manufacturing are the main challenges for E-Business.
The regulations or acts of web-based economic practices with respect to IPR, data or privacy protection, taxation, security etc differ from country to country that creates issues to be negotiated in e-Trade in WTO and other regional trade agreements, she added.
The speakers also said AFACT focus is to facilitate international transactions through simplification and harmonisation of international trade procedures and information flows which is also the essence of paperless trade and trade facilitation.
It also continually develops standards and provides recommendations to be adopted by both public and private sectors for cross-border data exchange in trade and electronic commerce.
