On 12 June 2020, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore virtually sign the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) — a modular digital-trade treaty among three Pacific economies.

DEPA covers data flows, electronic signatures, online consumer protection, artificial intelligence and regulatory cooperation as a supplement to classic trade agreements.

South Korea applied in 2021 and became the fourth member on 3 May 2024; China also requested accession, with a working group opened in 2022.

Singapore signed a bilateral digital agreement with Australia the same year (SADEA). DEPA remains an “open plurilateral” model for digital standards.

For post-pandemic trade, 12 June 2020 marks the first dedicated digital-economy rule set among Chile, NZ and Singapore.

The official text is published by the founding parties’ trade ministries.

DEPA of 12 June 2020 remains the founding agreement of the Chile–New Zealand–Singapore digital partnership.

Image: Pacific / digital economy; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Digital Economy Partnership Agreement. Treaty text: Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (MTI Singapore).