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Author	Dr Tianqi Gu
Organisation/Institution	Singapore Management University, School of Law
Country	SINGAPORE
Panel	International Business Law
Title	ESG Traceability or Extraterritoriality? Data Sovereignty and WTO Tensions in the EU Battery Digital Product Passport
Abstract	This article, based on the author's contribution to the UNCEFACT White Paper on digital product passports and cross-border value chains, explores the global shift towards a circular economy and the critical role of robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) traceability throughout the product lifecycle. To advance this goal, the EU has introduced the world’s first mandatory cross-global value chain (GVC) traceability mechanism, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) regime under the Battery Regulation, which requires comprehensive ESG disclosures across the product lifecycle. This paper offers a detailed analysis of the EU Battery DPP regime, with a focus on its extraterritorial ESG disclosure requirements. Using China as a representative upstream jurisdiction, it identifies significant legal tensions between the EU’s ESG disclosure obligations and China’s outbound data governance framework. The article argues that these requirements may conflict with the EU’s commitments under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, as they risk generating discriminatory effects and creating unnecessary trade barriers. These frictions could lead to WTO disputes and potentially disrupt EU–China battery trade, with broader ramifications for the stability of battery GVCs. This paper underscores a fundamental challenge for global governance, as unilateral sustainability instruments with extraterritorial reach increasingly challenge national sovereignty and call for greater WTO-based cooperation to ensure a legally coherent and globally inclusive circular economy.
Biography	Dr Tianqi Gu is the Yong Pung How Research Fellow at the Centre for Commercial Law in Asia, Singapore Management University, with a PhD in Law from the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on international economic law, comparative commercial law, and corporate governance, with a growing emphasis on digital trade and data governance. Tianqi has a proven record of publications in top international journals, including World Trade Review and Asian Journal of Comparative Law. She has a monograph forthcoming with Springer on Chinese SOE reforms and Chinese outbound investment. She also co-authored book chapters and working papers on Chinese investment strategies and the legal barriers to cross-border data mobility, with ongoing contributions to global policy discussions. Tianqi is also a dedicated educator, having taught law at both UNSW and SMU, where she has designed and delivered courses in business law and international investment law. Additionally, Tianqi actively engages in academic and policy collaborations, serving as a registered expert with UN/CEFACT and contributing to industry-focused research initiatives.