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Building a Strong Digital Trade Agenda to Foster America’s Success in Digital Economy

• June 5, 2023
• Ed Gresser

A generation of technological innovation, infrastructure deployment, and generally good policy have combined to create a global digital world of 5.3 billion people. The Biden administration recently produced a report, “Declaration on the Future of the Internet,” outlining the vision of the future — one with free flows of information, high-quality consumer protection, economic growth, and liberty preserved.

Today, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released a new report “Digital Trade 2023: The Declaration, The Debates, and the Next Global Economy,” detailing how the Biden administration’s vision is correct, but highly contested across the world. Report author Ed Gresser, Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets, provides recommendations on how the administration can achieve its vision and contribute to the next generation’s growth and digital liberty.

“A strong digital trade agenda is both a contributor to growth and American leadership, and a chance to shape the next-generation world economy in the spirit of liberty, inclusion, and American values,” said Ed Gresser.

The report makes the following policy recommendations:

• An idealistic and ambitious approach in the 15-country “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” (IPEF), that provides a future vision more attractive than authoritarian alternatives resting on free flows of data, opposition to forced localization of server and data, strong consumer protection, non-discriminatory regulation, anti-spam and anti-disinformation policies, cyber-security, and broad-based growth through encouragement for open electronic commerce.
• A strong response in the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to European Union attempts to create discriminatory regulations and taxes targeting American technologies and firms.
• Defense of U.S. values in the U.N., WTO, and other venues against “digital sovereignty” campaigns by China and others that endanger the internet’s multi-stakeholder governance, normalize large-scale censorship and firewalling, and generally place the political fears and policy goals of authoritarian governments above the liberties of individuals.
• Supporting responsible governance of technology and politely but firmly pushing back on attempts either at home or internationally to demonize technological innovation and American success.

Read and download the report here:

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C., with offices in Brussels, Berlin and the United Kingdom. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.

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Media Contact: Amelia Fox, afox@ppionline.org