马尼拉：东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）成员国于周六（11月14日）签署了该集团首个泛地区、具法律约束力的《数字经济框架协定》（DEFA）。副总理颜金勇形容该协定反映了成员国之间不同的准备状态。
MANILA: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states on Saturday (Nov 14) signed the bloc's first region-wide, legally binding Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong describing the pact as one that reflects the diverse state of readiness among member countries.
颜金勇指出，该集团花费了“数年”时间才谈判达成该协议。他说：“能够谈判达成一项既足够宏伟、同时又能被所有成员国接受的协议，并不容易。”能源贸易和工业部（METI）在新闻稿中表示，《数字经济框架协定》是东盟首个独立的数字经济协议。
Noting that it has taken the bloc “several years” to negotiate the deal, Mr Gan said: “To be able to negotiate an agreement that is on one hand sufficiently ambitious and at the same time acceptable to all member countries, is not easy.”The DEFA is ASEAN’s first standalone digital economy agreement, said the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) in a press release.
该部表示，该协议为更紧密的数字经济一体化奠定了基础，并为东盟不断增长的数字市场中的企业开辟了机遇。
The deal lays the foundation for closer digital economic integration and opens up opportunities for businesses in ASEAN's growing digital market, said the ministry.
该协议涵盖跨境数据流、端到端数字贸易、源代码保护、网络安全和人工智能。
The agreement covers cross-border data flows, end-to-end digital trade, protection of source code, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
该协议旨在促进科技、电子商务、支付、物流和供应链等数字化赋能行业实现更高的互操作性，让各种规模的企业能够在东盟地区扩展和扩大规模。
It aims to promote greater interoperability across digitally enabled sectors, such as technology, e-commerce, payments, logistics and supply chains, letting businesses of all sizes expand and scale across the ASEAN region.
在灵活性中寻求合作 兼任能源贸易和工业部（贸易）大臣的颜金勇表示，《数字经济框架协定》为东盟提供了一套基础的数字规则框架，其中包括跨境数据流。
COLLABORATION AMID FLEXIBILITY Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Trade), said DEFA provides ASEAN with a basic framework for digital rules, including cross-border data flows.
他说：“但每个国家都有自己特定的关切。有些可能涉及隐私法，有些可能涉及商业机密，有些可能涉及国家安全。”
“But each country has its own specific concerns. Some may relate to privacy laws, some may relate to business confidentiality, some may relate to national security,” he said.
“因此，该框架协议将允许存在例外情况。但重要的是，它规定了基本的跨境数据流规则，在受制于其中一些保留和关切的前提下，允许数据进行传输。”颜金勇表示，《数字经济框架协定》旨在保持灵活性并随时间演变，从而使该集团不会受限于其发展最慢的成员的速度。
“So there are exceptions that will be allowed under this framework agreement. But what is important is that it sets out the basic cross-border data flow rules to allow data to be able to be transferable, subject to some of these reservations and concerns.”Mr Gan said that DEFA is designed to be flexible and evolve with time, so that the bloc is not restricted to progressing at the pace of its slowest member.
他说：“重要的是，我们为那些今天尚未完全准备好的其他国家敞开大门，以便它们能够在准备好时随时加入。”
“The important thing is we keep the door open for other countries who are not quite ready today, to be able to join in any time when they are ready, he said.
“我认为这具有包容性，但同时也允许我们以快得多的速度前进。”
“I think this is inclusive, but yet at the same time allows us to progress at a much faster pace.”