LI MIN/CHINA DAILY Saturday marks the entry into force of a new international agreement promoting paperless trade, reminding us, once again, of how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought digital solutions to regional development challenges into the limelight. Paperless trade across borders has proven an effective way to mitigate trade disruptions since the pandemic broke out early last year, enabling commerce to continue in spite of limiting physical contact. Yet despite the increasing acceptance of electronic documents across borders, implementation of cross-border paperless trade remains low according to the United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation for Asia and the Pacific.