- Final sessions urge global stakeholders to bridge digital sovereignty divides and rebuild cross-border trust.
- Experts call for interoperable policies, address portability, and inclusive governance to protect the future of a unified internet.
What happened: Forum closes with stark warnings on cross-border policy fragmentation and data sovereignty
The Asia Interconnect World Forum 2025 wrapped up today in Tokyo, concluding a high-level gathering of regulators, infrastructure operators, and internet governance leaders from across Asia-Pacific and beyond. On the final day, conversations zeroed in on the growing clash between national data sovereignty agendas and the technical need for global interoperability.
Experts warned of serious risks if trust and transparency fail to match legal fragmentation. They identified growing uncertainty, regional internet splits, and slower cross-border data as major threats.
Speakers criticised inconsistent IP address policies and the absence of unified dispute resolution. These gaps, they said, weaken the current global internet structure. Many urged urgent, action-based cooperation among engineers, regulators, and providers to address these structural flaws.
Governance and interconnection: Bridging regulatory divides in a digital-first era
At the heart of the Asia Interconnect World Forum 2025 was a central concern: how to manage rising tension between digital sovereignty and the global internet. The forum offered a space to promote harmonised policies that protect secure interconnection and enable cross-border data flow. Participants discussed how to ensure fair access to IP resources and consistent interconnection standards across diverse regulatory environments.
Speakers highlighted the urgent need to align regional legal frameworks with global operational practices. They warned that inconsistent rules may trigger interoperability failures and legal uncertainty across jurisdictions. Both policymakers and network operators stressed that coordination is essential to prevent fragmented governance and rising infrastructure risks.
The forum also called for transparent, cross-border legal frameworks and deeper cooperation among internet registries and policymakers. Attendees supported adaptable legal tools for managing cybersecurity, data control, and service portability. They agreed that sustainable digital infrastructure depends on inclusive governance based on openness, accountability, and shared global trust.
Expert session: Lu Heng calls for a principle-based trust architecture for internet interconnection
During a featured expert session, LARUS CEO Lu Heng emphasised that the digital world cannot continue to function on isolated national regulations alone. He called for the development of a principle-based trust framework to guide cross-border IP address use, routing integrity, and digital identity governance. “We have reached a point where technical cooperation is not enough,” Lu said. “What we need now is political trust backed by operational clarity—standards that can be verified, applied across borders, and accepted by all stakeholders.”
Lu warned that regulatory uncertainty is increasingly becoming a barrier to effective interconnection, especially for operators in emerging markets. He proposed the creation of neutral, transparent mechanisms—such as portable IP address systems and mutual legal recognition protocols—to help bridge sovereign demands and operational needs.
His remarks were met with broad interest from regional operators, especially those navigating competing regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Lu concluded by stressing that trust must be built intentionally, not assumed: “If we don’t build global digital trust, we will get digital silos. And that means less innovation, less connectivity, and less security for everyone.”
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Why it is important
The close of the Asia Interconnect World Forum 2025 highlights a hard truth: geopolitics now shapes the internet’s future. Data sovereignty serves national interests, but unchecked growth threatens global connectivity and network interoperability.
Diverging rules on IP addresses, routing, and data storage increase legal risks and infrastructure fragmentation. Without shared governance, operators face rising costs, policy uncertainty, and reduced resilience to cyber threats. Lu Heng urged action through trust-driven architecture, reflecting a growing call for coordinated global frameworks.
He proposed address portability, stronger verification, and transparent governance to support secure cross-border access. These solutions aim to keep the internet open, reliable, and unified—despite political and regulatory divergence.
