INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN THE DIGITAL SEGMENT: MAIN FACTORS, TRENDS AND PROBLEMS

Abstract

The article examines systemic changes in the process of digital trade in the XXI century, as well as new risks and threats that appear objectively in the global digital market in many ways. It is shown that the introduction of digital technologies in all spheres of the world economy since the beginning of the XXI century has spread to the system of international economic relations, primarily international trade as the most actively developing form of international economic relations. The purpose of the article is to study the features and formulate the main characteristics of trade in this segment of the world market in 2000–2021. The authors note that today in the digital segment of the world economy, including in trade, the situation is somewhat different than in other (traditional) segments. In particular, it is not possible to extend tariff and non-tariff restrictions to digital trade, there is no need to make costly investments, which reduces the costs of business entities and increases the efficiency of their trading operations. At the same time, the growth of competition in the digital segment of international trade, the need to strengthen cybersecurity and the level of copyright and intellectual property protection encourage companies to step up efforts in innovation and R&D, in the educational process and, in general, to increase their presence in the social environment. Since digital commerce will be actively developing in the future, all these processes, according to the authors, require attention from enterprises, society and the state.