With the policy world’s attention fixed on a major defense gathering elsewhere in Southeast Asia, many missed an important announcement from Manila on May 30 that negotiations on ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) had finally concluded. DEFA is the world’s first regional digital economy agreement, setting common rules for cross-border data transfers, e-commerce, cybersecurity, AI a...
The article highlights the need for ASEAN to balance digital expansion with environmental sustainability, particularly in relation to data centers. While ASEAN has taken steps towards a "green digital transformation," such as adopting the Hanoi Declaration and creating an ASEAN Guide on Sustainable Data Centre Development, implementation remains challenging due to fragmented legal governance regimes, a developmental gap between ASEAN countries, and the need for further coordination and regulator...