Asia-Pacific needs digital bridges, not 'digital fences'

Detailed summary

Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific in Malaysia, stresses inclusive digital supply chain finance, local-currency settlement and inclusive credit — rejecting "small yards and high fences"— plus capacity building so the digital dividend leaves no one behind.

During an interview with China Daily's Global Lens, Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific in Malaysia, stresses inclusive digital supply chain finance, local-currency settlement and inclusive credit — rejecting "small yards and high fences"— plus capacity building so the digital dividend leaves no one behind.

During the interview, Ong says China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 putting digital trade and sustainable innovation at the core of regional integration. More supportive measures will release a great regional market potential. Ong adds that interoperable digital frameworks let small traders access regional value chains through QR payments, e-commerce and paperless customs. But compliance burdens and tech disruption can marginalize grassroots entrepreneurs and uneven digital readiness makes coordination hard. Therefore, the region needs more coordinative efforts to solve the problems.

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