China will make greater efforts to speed up negotiations on joining the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
A ministerial-level meeting between China and DEPA member countries was held on November 14, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum ministerial meeting. All parties held in-depth discussions on the progress of the negotiations and the work to be done in the next stage of the accession process.
In August 2022, China began negotiations to join DEPA, a new trade partnership agreement initiated by New Zealand, Singapore and Chile.
Since then, the country has held five ministerial-level meetings and several technical consultations with DEPA members, exchanging views on digital economy topics such as trade and business facilitation, cybersecurity and technology. emerging.
China has also actively participated in exchange seminars and promoted pragmatic cooperation in specific areas with several DEPA members, particularly regarding electronic invoices and electronic bills of lading.
According to He Yongqian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, China will closely cooperate with DEPA member countries to explore the potential of cooperation in the digital economy and ensure the rapid implementation of specific collaboration projects.
