Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce

Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce
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The deal is expected to make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure, once it is in place. (AN file photo)
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Updated 26 July 2024
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Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce

Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce
  • First digital global rules include recognition of e-signatures and protection against online fraud
  • The agreement also includes a component providing preferential treatment to developing countries

JEDDAH: About 80 countries including Saudi Arabia reached a historic agreement on Friday on rules governing global digital commerce, including recognition of e-signatures and protection against online fraud.

“We negotiated the first global rules on digital trade,” EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said after the deal in Geneva following five years of negotiations.“This will facilitate e-transactions, boost innovation, and integrate developing countries into the digital economy,” he said.

Britain said the agreement would commit all participants to making customs documents and processes digital and recognizing e-documents and e-signatures, and put in place legal safeguards against online fraudsters and misleading claims about products.

Once in place, the deal “will make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure,” Britain said in a statement.

The text of the agreement says the parties will seek to limit spam and protect personal data, as well as offer support to least-developed countries.
Ninety-one of the World Trade Organization’s 166 members took part in the negotiations, including Saudi Arabia, China, Canada, Argentina and Nigeria.
Digital commerce is growing far faster than its traditional counterpart.
The OECD group of economically developed nations says it estimated that in 2020, e-commerce already made up a quarter of global trade, making it worth just under $5 trillion.
Despite its growing importance, “no common set of global rules exist,” said British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Finalizing the negotiations “is a huge step forward in correcting that and ensuring British businesses feel the benefit.”

The talks were launched in 2019, with around 90 negotiating countries — representing 90 percent of the WTO membership — including heavy-hitters like the United States, the European Union and China.
Australia, Japan and Singapore, which have jointly been leading the Initiative on Electronic Commerce talks, presented a joint statement during a closed-door meeting at the WTO confirming that “after five years of negotiations, participants had achieved a stabilized text.”
But actual implementation of a deal could still be years off.
A small number of negotiating countries have yet to sign on, including the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkiye, the declaration said.
“The text released today ... represents an important step forward for the WTO in a sector of growing importance to the global economy,” US ambassador and Deputy US Trade Representative Maria Pagan said in a statement.
But the United States considers that “the current text falls short and more work is needed,” she said, pointing in particular to an “essential security exception.”
The co-conveners of the talks have in recent months stressed the importance of landing a deal, stressing it could facilitate electronic transactions, promote digital trade and foster an open and trusted digital economy.
“This would be the first-ever set of baseline digital trade rules,” Singapore’s ambassador to the WTO Tan Hung Seng said in April.
“It would contribute to the growing e-commerce in our countries by providing greater legal predictability and certainty, against the backdrop of increasing regulatory fragmentation,” he said.
In Friday’s statement, UK Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the agreement aimed “to help people use technology safely by protecting them from fraud, while driving economic growth through the digitalization of trade so it’s faster and more secure.”

Preferential treatment

The agreement also includes a component providing preferential treatment to developing countries.
In addition to paving the way for digitalising customs documents and processes, the text also seeks to make permanent a long-held moratorium exempting electronic transactions from customs duties.
The moratorium has been in place since 1998, and has been extended at each WTO ministerial meeting since. It is currently set to expire in 2026.
“Once in force the agreement will permanently ban customs duties on digital content,” the British statement said.
The aim is to incorporate the digital trade rules into the WTO legal framework, but that would require consensus backing from all members, including those not part of the deal.
That could be tricky at a time when countries like India and South Africa are balking at what they see as a proliferation of plurilateral agreements within the WTO rather than the all-but-impossible multilateral deals backed by all members.
One solution, observers say, could be for the signatories to move the agreement to another international body. But if they do that, they would not be able to rely on the WTO’s mechanism for resolving trade disputes.

(With Agencies)


Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank
  • Kingdom’s foreign ministry said the move would violate international laws

RIYADH: A government minister’s threat for Israel to apply full sovereignty over the occupied West Bank was strongly condemned by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom “condemned and denunciated” the statement made by the Israeli official calling for the imposition of sovereignty over the Palestinian territory.

Such action would be a violation of international law, the statement said. Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to expand settlements on Palestinian land, the ministry added, while reiterating the Kingdom’s position on the importance of Israel abiding by international resolutions.

The statement followed comments from Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin saying “the time has come” for Israel to apply sovereignty across the West Bank.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 and has built dozens of settlements, deemed illegal under international law, across the territory.

The Saudi foreign ministry offered its support for the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate rights and in establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 


Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce has announced the recall of 88,518 Anker portable chargers across multiple models due to a potential internal electrical short circuit that may cause overheating and pose a fire risk.

The ministry urged consumers to immediately stop using the affected products and contact Anker at the toll-free number 8008500030 to arrange a replacement or full refund, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Consumers can check if their device is included in the recall and start the replacement or refund process by visiting anker.com/mmrc2506.

Users are also advised to verify the model number of their charger against the list of affected products on the Defective Products Recall Center website ecalls.sa.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to consumer safety and stressed the importance of promptly addressing product defects to prevent potential hazards.


GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting
Updated 02 July 2025
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GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi participated in the 39th Meeting of the Directors-General of Passports of the GCC countries, held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh.

During the meeting, he reviewed the latest developments, including the Gulf visa project.

The passport departments of the interior ministries of GCC countries, through a series of joint meetings, are making efforts to launch a unified tourist visa project in the near future, the General Secretariat said in a report.

“Everyone is working as one team to keep pace with technological developments and security requirements in a world characterised by rapid change,” Albudaiwi said.


Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. (AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. (AFP)
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. (AFP)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, Prince Faisal and Rubio reviewed US-Saudi relations and ways to enhance the strategic partnership between their countries. The latest regional and international developments were also discussed. 


Saudi delegation in Tokyo for talks on GCC-Japan free trade agreement

Saudi delegation in Tokyo for talks on GCC-Japan free trade agreement
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi delegation in Tokyo for talks on GCC-Japan free trade agreement

Saudi delegation in Tokyo for talks on GCC-Japan free trade agreement
  • Trade volume between Kingdom, Japan reached $36bn in 2024
  • Saudi team oversees and monitors progress of trade negotiations

TOKYO: Farid bin Saeed Al-Asali, the General Authority for Foreign Trade’s deputy governor for international agreements and organizations, is in Tokyo to lead the Kingdom’s delegation in the second round of negotiations on the free trade agreement between the GCC and Japan, which began on June 30 and will run until July 4.

According to GAFT, the Saudi negotiating team includes nine technical teams focused on goods, services, investment, e-commerce, intellectual property, and government procurement.

Comprising 46 government agencies, the teams prepare the Kingdom’s positions on negotiations and proposals within the World Trade Organization and free trade agreements, and submit relevant reports to the negotiating team.

In 2024, the trade volume between Saudi Arabia and Japan reached about $36 billion. The most significant exports from the Kingdom were mineral products and organic chemical products. In contrast, the primary imports from Japan included automobiles and automotive components, as well as machinery and mechanical tools.

Overall, Saudi Arabia’s exports totaled about $28 billion, while imports amounted to around $8 billion.

The Saudi team oversees and monitors the progress of trade negotiations to ensure they align with the Kingdom’s trade objectives and policies. Additionally, the team participates in the negotiations to incorporate the Kingdom’s positions, making their role integral to the process.

The General Authority for Foreign Trade aims to enhance trade gains, strengthen global presence, and engage with international organizations for sustainable development. The authority plays a crucial role in negotiations, representing the Kingdom’s interests and ensuring trade agreements align with its objectives.