U.S., UK Tech and Business Associations Call on Leaders to Advance Digital Trade

Washington – Today, a coalition of tech groups and experts from business, government, and academia in the United States and United Kingdom called on government leaders to advance a high-standard model of digital trade.

The organizations BritishAmerican Business (BAB), the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), techUK, the US Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-UK Business Council, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) issued the following statement to inform ongoing discussions in the U.S.-UK Trade and Investment Working Group and underscore the growing importance of digital trade between the two countries:

“The sheer volume of digital trade and data flows has transformed industries of all sectors, spread innovation worldwide, and made global commerce more seamless and connected. In fact, 60 percent of world GDP will be digitized by 2022.[1] There is now a unique opportunity for the United States and the United Kingdom — the two countries with the highest volume of digital trade globally — to take the lead in affirming the increasingly vital role of digital and digitally-enabled goods and services in international trade. We encourage both nations to use their combined strength and leadership to pursue joint commitments on digital trade which foster innovation and set a high watermark for the global economy. Our organizations intend to work constructively with officials from both governments toward an outcome that advances common economic priorities, ensures high-standard protections, and marks the direction of digital trade rules in the modern economy.”

[1] U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AmCham EU, 2019, “The Transatlantic Economy 2019” https://www.uschamber.com/report/the-transatlantic-economy-2019