US out to counter China in Asia with proposed digital trade deal

White House officials are discussing proposals for a digital trade agreement covering Indo-Pacific economies as the administration seeks ways to check China’s influence in the region, according to people familiar with the plans.

Details of the potential agreement are still being drafted, but the pact could potentially include countries such as Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is not public.

The deal could set out standards for the digital economy, including rules on the use of data, trade facilitation and electronic customs arrangements, according to another person.

It also would show the Biden administration is interested in pursuing new trade opportunities after spending its first months focused more on enforcing existing deals than advancing negotiations with Britain and Kenya that were inherited from the Trump administration.