Trade Rules in E-commerce: WTO and India

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is an integral part of business activities, and various models of e-commerce have emerged with liberalisation and technological developments. Global e-commerce trade has seen fast growth, which is predicted to continue in the future. The sector is now discussed in various international forums, and a group of countries are exploring the possibility of open, transparent and non-discriminatory e-commerce trade rules in the WTO. India has not joined this group as commitments in the WTO may reduce the ability of the government to promote and support domestic industry. India is also actively engaged in bilateral and regional trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and e-commerce is a key component of such agreements. Given this background, the objective of this paper is to understand the growth of the ecommerce sector globally and in India, the developments in the WTO, and India’s position. Based on secondary data and information, and one-on-one meetings with 30 stakeholders, the paper makes policy recommendations on what India’s strategy in the WTO should be.