China sets up team for accession to digital economy pact

China has established a working team to push its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement on Friday.

Signed by New Zealand, Singapore and Chile in June 2020, the DEPA coordinates policies on digital economy and is the first of its kind in the world. The pact covers almost all key sectors of the digital economy, ranging from facilitation of commerce and trade to personal information safety.

Going forward, China will conduct in-depth accession negotiations with other members within the framework of its accession to the DEPA, and strive to formally join the digital pact as soon as possible, so as to strengthen cooperation with other members in the field of digital economy, promote innovation and sustainable development, said the statement.

China officially filed an application to join DEPA in November 2021. The application was submitted in a written letter to New Zealand, the depositary for the DEPA, according to the ministry.

In the process of promoting its accession, China and the DEPA member countries conducted dialogues at all levels, held more than ten special ministerial-level talks, two chief negotiator meetings, and four technical-level informal consultations, the ministry said.