Pre-mature for India to attempt rule-making in e-commerce:Ficci

Ficci Monday said it may be "pre-mature" for India to attempt rule-making in e-commerce and the country must be extremely cautious in its approach as there is less clarity on the impact of such issues, in the backdrop of the WTO mini-ministerial here.

Developed countries like the US want WTO members to start discussing new issues like e-commerce. However, India is of the view that formal discussions should begin only after consensus is built on them.

"As regards the proposals favouring WTO talks on electronic commerce, it is necessary to first thoroughly appreciate the implications of fast-changing digital trade, free flow of data across borders, infrastructure localisation, and many other such factors before discussing binding trade rules in this area," Ficci said in a statement.

In view of the sharp 'digital divide' (in terms of digital infrastructure and access to advanced digital technologies), binding rules on cross-border data transfers and localisation restrictions may limit ...