During the Expo, we spoke with several experts about the barriers hindering cross-border digital trade cooperation and potential solutions. Here's what they had to say.

SABRINA IELMOLI BEUXE, Chief, eTrade Initiative Section, E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch, UNCTAD "We recently conducted a study compiling the experiences of over 300 entrepreneurs. They told us that their biggest challenge is difficulty in accessing finance to grow and scale their businesses. The second major challenge they identified is market access. For small businesses, complying with different countries’ regulations—such as health and safety standards and packaging requirements—can be costly and very challenging when operating across multiple markets."

JAMES HOWE, Head Digital, Markets and Connectivity, International Trade Centre "What is emerging for us is logistics. In many of the countries we work in, such as in Africa, this becomes a major barrier because it requires infrastructure, investment, and simply roads. It's an easy barrier to understand. If you go to a border in Africa, you'll see trucks waiting for days to get across. This highlights several issues—border delays, customs challenges, and the need for better logistics planning overall."

XUE BOYANG, Project Lead, Digital Trade World Economic Forum "I believe there will be better alignment on global regulations for cross-border data flow, as well as single window operations for importing goods and services. Many countries have different rules and standards, which increase the cost of doing business for small and medium enterprises. Better alignment and harmonization of these standards would help reduce such non-tariff barriers for traders."