The global economic and trade landscape in the digital economy era is being profoundly reshaped by the reconstruction of data elements and rules. The Digital Economic Partnership Agreement (DEPA), with its unique advantages of modularity and interoperability, has become an important bridge connecting economies at different stages of development. As a major player in the global digital economy, China has continuously deepened its cooperation with member countries such as Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, and South Korea since submitting its application to join DEPA in 2021. In 2025, it has achieved multiple breakthroughs, demonstrating the practical effectiveness of institutional openness and injecting new momentum into global digital governance.

China and Singapore jointly build a highland for China ASEAN digital cooperation. As the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore and the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the China Singapore connectivity project, the cooperation between the two countries will achieve a qualitative leap in the field of digital economy by 2025. Recently, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, Yan Jinyong, visited China. Both China and Singapore agreed to deepen the integration of development plans, explore more areas of shared interests and growth in cooperation; Make full use of policy resources and promote the quality and upgrading of major projects; Cultivate and strengthen new quality productivity, accelerate the formation of landmark achievements; Joining hands to maintain the multilateral trading system, better promoting the development of both countries and the prosperity and stability of the region.

China Chile cooperation continues to broaden the breadth of digital cooperation between China and Latin America. In 2025, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Chile, Chile, as a founding member of DEPA and an important partner of China in Latin America, has become a model for digital economic cooperation between China and Latin America. From the 8th Chief Negotiator Meeting of the DEPA Working Group held in Santiago in March 2025, to the continuous expansion of consensus between the two sides in cross-border data flow, digital identity mutual recognition and other fields, China Chile cooperation not only reflects the synergy of developing countries' participation in the formulation of digital rules, but also injects digital momentum into China Latin America economic and trade relations.

The alignment of high standard rules between China, New Zealand, and South Korea empowers institutional openness. New Zealand and South Korea, as practitioners of high standard free trade rules under the DEPA framework, continue to accelerate their process of aligning with China's rules. As the first developed country to sign a comprehensive free trade agreement with China, New Zealand's experience in areas such as mutual recognition of digital standards and paperless trade provides important references for China to align with the DEPA rules. South Korea, on the other hand, has deepened its dialogue with China on the digital economy within the APEC framework, thanks to its mature regulatory framework in areas such as digital infrastructure and e-commerce. At the ministerial level meeting between China and members of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) in October 2025, China and South Korea reached multiple consensuses on issues such as digital trade facilitation and regulation of emerging industries, promoting the complementarity between DEPA rules and RCEP framework. This cooperation model of "rule benchmarking practice adaptation common upgrading" has become a vivid portrayal of China's steady expansion of institutional openness.

The digital wave is surging forward, and rule based cooperation is just the right time. The cooperation practice between China and DEPA members not only reflects the strategic determination to expand high-level opening up to the outside world, but also demonstrates the strong vitality of multilateralism in the field of digital economy. With the acceleration of the negotiation process, both sides will work together to create a new benchmark for digital economy cooperation based on mutual trust and understanding, contribute wisdom and strength to the transformation of the global digital governance system, and make the digital economy a powerful engine for promoting common development.