Taiwan, U.S. find common ground at second digital economy forum

Taiwan and the United States have found several areas of consensus during their second Digital Economy Forum, including to support policies that promote innovation and growth in the digital economy and inclusive and open Internet governance.

At the forum held Thursday in Washington, both sides affirmed support for policies and regulatory environments that promote innovation, trade, investment and growth in the digital economy.

They also backed the normalization of private sector consultations as policies and regulations are being formed and implemented, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting was concluded.

Other areas of agreement included backing for an inclusive, open and transparent system of Internet governance and support for policies that facilitate the free flow of information across borders, the statement said.

The two sides also agreed to the need for enhancing privacy protections and enabling cross border data flows by implementing and promoting frameworks for privacy and data protection, through such means as the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules system.

They also advocated policies aimed at preventing unnecessary forced technology transfers and encouraging adoption and deployment of the best available technologies, the statement said.

The U.S. and Taiwan underscored the importance of making it easier for startups to develop and of promoting more cooperation between U.S. and Taiwanese venture capital firms, startup clusters and innovators, according to the statement.

"Both sides also affirmed the importance of intellectual property rights and licensing to expand two-way technology trade and investment between the two economies," the statement said.

In addition, the participants shared information on the status of smart city projects and explored cooperation to expand Internet connectivity through the Global Connect Initiative, aimed at connecting an additional 1.5 billion people to the Internet by 2020, it said.

It added that the two sides are committed to carry out a joint program aiming to expand Internet connectivity and bridge the digital divide through the Global Cooperation and Training Framework MOU between Taiwan and the U.S.

The Taiwanese delegation to the meeting was led by National Development Council deputy head Kung Ming-hsin (???) and included officials from the council, the Office of Science and Technology under the Executive Yuan, the ministries of economic affairs and justice, the Financial Supervisory Commission and others.

The U.S. delegation was led by Daniel Sepulveda, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, and included officials with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, departments of state and commerce, the Federal Communications Commission and other related agencies, the statement said.

U.S. and Taiwanese industry representatives also participated in the forum.

The first forum was held in 2015 to discuss policies regarding digital trade and create policy and regulatory environments to enable digital development.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel