This thesis discusses the case of TikTok-GoTo Partnership in the development of TikTok Shop in Indonesia which aligns with the objectives of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Framework. The TikTok-GoTo Partnership emerged after the Indonesian government have implemented a ban regulation in response to their market expansion in Indonesia through the Minister of Trade Regulation No. 31 of 2023 concerning fair competition and data governance, which resulted in TikTok Shop paused its’ operations in Indonesia as their integration of both social media and e-commerce platform has been prohibited. This led to the TikTok-GoTo partnership which TikTok invested over $US 1.5 billion to GoTo Indonesia which enabled them to re-enter the e-commerce market in Indonesia. This study used the qualitative case study approach and utilized secondary data analysis obtained from academic journals, books, government documents, company reports, and news articles that are published between 2020 and 2026, while analyzing the alignment of the partnership with the objectives of RCEP framework through the logic of embedded liberalism. It can be argued that the findings depicted that the TikTok-GoTo partnership is highly aligned with the objectives RCEP Framework in regards to the objectives of fair competition, investment, electronic commerce, and the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), although objectives in regards to fair competition may be said to be partial as the government still imposes the ban regulation set towards TikTok Shop. Thus, the study finds that the emergence of TikTok Shop to be considered as a form of disembeddedness digital trade and government intervention in its emergence reflected the idea of double movement to protect domestic interests, in which the partnership reflects as the final compromise between economic openness and regulatory control. As a result, this thesis represents the alignment of the TikTok-GoTo partnership with the objectives of the RCEP Framework, depicting how states balance economic openness and domestic regulatory interests.
This thesis discusses the case of TikTok-GoTo Partnership in the development of TikTok Shop in Indonesia which aligns with the objectives of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Framework. The TikTok-GoTo Partnership emerged after the Indonesian government have implemented a ban regulation in response to their market expansion in Indonesia through the Minister of Trade Regulation No. 31 of 2023 concerning fair competition and data governance, which resulted in TikTok Shop paused its’ operations in Indonesia as their integration of both social media and e-commerce platform has been prohibited. This led to the TikTok-GoTo partnership which TikTok invested over $US 1.5 billion to GoTo Indonesia which enabled them to re-enter the e-commerce market in Indonesia. This study used the qualitative case study approach and utilized secondary data analysis obtained from academic journals, books, government documents, company reports, and news articles that are published between 2020 and 2026, while analyzing the alignment of the partnership with the objectives of RCEP framework through the logic of embedded liberalism. It can be argued that the findings depicted that the TikTok-GoTo partnership is highly aligned with the objectives RCEP Framework in regards to the objectives of fair competition, investment, electronic commerce, and the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), although objectives in regards to fair competition may be said to be partial as the government still imposes the ban regulation set towards TikTok Shop. Thus, the study finds that the emergence of TikTok Shop to be considered as a form of disembeddedness digital trade and government intervention in its emergence reflected the idea of double movement to protect domestic interests, in which the partnership reflects as the final compromise between economic openness and regulatory control. As a result, this thesis represents the alignment of the TikTok-GoTo partnership with the objectives of the RCEP Framework, depicting how states balance economic openness and domestic regulatory interests.
Kata Kunci :
Digital Economy, TikTok, RCEP Framework, Embedded Liberalism
