E-Commerce, Digital Trade, and Global Supply Chains in the Era of Economic Security

Dear Colleagues,

Cross-border e-commerce has profoundly reshaped international trade, consumption-production systems, and the structural evolution of global supply chains. Accelerated by rapid digital transformation, e-commerce has become a critical channel for large-scale data accumulation, providing the infrastructure for big data analytics and the advancement of artificial intelligence. Within this context of technological and industrial change, digital trade has emerged not only as a distinct business domain but also as a rigorous field of academic inquiry.

At the same time, the international community has intensified efforts to establish data-driven rules through ongoing digital trade negotiations. These efforts have produced landmark plurilateral agreements such as the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), the USMCA, and the CPTPP. More recently, however, a paradigm shift toward economic security — which frames economic issues through a national security lens—has gained momentum. Led by the United States and accelerated by the 2025 reciprocal tariff negotiations, this policy stance is spreading globally. Security-driven measures, including unilateral high tariffs, strict export controls, investment screening, and restrictions on cross-border personnel movement, are exerting significant pressure on e-commerce, digital trade, global supply chains and production networks.

In response to these transformative developments, this Special Issue, titled “E-commerce, Digital Trade, and Global Supply Chains in the Era of Economic Security,” invites contributions that employ quantitative empirical analyses, qualitative case studies, legal perspectives, comparative institutional approaches, or policy-oriented research with strong analytical foundations.

Indicative topics include, but are not limited to:

• Cross-border e-commerce in a decoupling world
• AI technology development and digital trade rules
• Global supply chains and production networks
• Decoupling and de-risking issues in digital trade
• Legal issues surrounding data, AI and export controls
• Investment screening and data center-related challenges
• Economic security and its implications for digital trade

We welcome submissions that offer strategic insights and propose countermeasures to navigate this evolving landscape.

This call aims to articulate the motivation behind the Special Issue, clearly define its thematic scope, and provide guidance for potential authors. It aligns closely with the journal’s mission to advance scholarly understanding of e-commerce, digital trade, and global supply chains in an era increasingly shaped by economic security concerns.

Prof. Dr. Inkyo Cheong
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.