Stakeholder Consultations for the Digital Dialogues with Japan, Singapore and Korea

BMDV regularly organises stakeholder consultations to involve German stakeholders from different sectors in the International Digital Dialogues. The exchange on 12 May focused on Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. The Digital Dialogues with these countries have been established as government dialogues already and are now being expanded into multi-stakeholder platforms.

Around 50 stakeholders took part in the virtual consultations and exchanged views on existing as well as possible future frameworks for the digital transformation and cooperation with Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Representatives of the German embassies in the countries additionally provided information on economic and digital policy developments. Throughout the session, a digital whiteboard was used to note down key discussion points.

Opportunities for learning and collaboration within the Korean-German Digital Dialogue

The consultation meeting was divided into three parts to focus on the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Japan respectively, in this order. The representative of the German embassy in Seoul highlighted that the Republic of Korea attaches great importance to the rapid implementation of digitalisation strategies on its way to becoming a digitalised society. Collaborating with Korea in this area could prove fruitful, as it offers opportunities for mutual learning, particularly in the fields of digitalisation of the public sector and the implementation of smart cities.

The stakeholders stressed that market access for digital trade is essential. They pointed out that the Republic of Korea has been at the forefront of fintech innovation and promotes uniform regulations for fintech across Asia. According to the participants, a harmonised regulatory framework would be helpful. The Korean-German Digital Dialogue can be an important instrument to foster collaboration between companies and regulators.

Singapore's Industrie 4.0, Green Plan and fintech advancements

The second part focused on the Singaporean-German Digital Dialogue. As Singapore is a front runner in the digitalisation of the economy and public sphere, there is plenty of opportunity for mutual learning. The stakeholders identified several interesting topics for the Digital Dialogue. They highlighted, for example, that Singapore has a very business-friendly ecosystem for the development of digital products and that its progress in Industrie 4.0 presents a good opportunity for exchange and cooperation.

The participants also noted Singapore’s approach to combine digitalisation, decarbonisation and sustainability through their proposed Green Plan. In addition, they acknowledged the country's advancements in fintech, particularly in digital currencies, while criticising the absence of an EU data adequacy decision relating to data protection. The Digital Dialogue could provide a platform for further discussion of these topics as well as for strategic collaboration.

Exploring new frontiers for collaboration with Japan

The third part was an opportunity for the stakeholders to discuss topics for the Japanese-German Digital Dialogue. While the dialogue exists since 2016, the consultation identified several new topics for potential cooperation and mutual learning.

Japan is a global leader in innovation and technology, especially in hardware and transportation. The country aims for the concept of Society 5.0, where digitalisation is used to address social challenges. These include a rapidly aging population and difficulties to cultivate a start-up ecosystem. The promotion of e-health and automation may be key solutions and topics that gain relevance.

Stakeholders see great potential for collaboration, for example in the regulation of cybersecurity or artificial intelligence (AI) as both countries aim to harmonise their regulatory frameworks with strategic partners. Within their G7 presidency in 2023, Japan also prioritises the topic of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) - an initiative that can be of high interest for the Japanese-German Digital Dialogue, according to the participants.

Keeping up the dialogue together

The Digital Dialogues are an important instrument to shape digital policy worldwide. As they are multi-stakeholder dialogues, the input of different stakeholders is essential for further developing the partnerships with the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Japan.

On behalf of BMDV, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) facilitates the stakeholder engagement process. GIZ invites you to continue to share your thematic priorities or suggestions for the Digital Dialogues via email (digital-dialogues@giz.de).