China has welcomed the adoption of interim arrangements for the World Trade Organization Agreement on Electronic Commerce, reaffirming its support for strengthening global digital trade rules.
In written remarks, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said the WTO E-Commerce Agreement establishes a framework for global digital trade governance and will promote more inclusive and sustainable digital growth.
China supports the timely implementation of the agreement and hopes the WTO will continue to play a greater role in shaping future digital trade rules, Wang noted.
Interim Arrangements Announced
The interim mechanism was announced in Yaounde, Cameroon, by the co-conveners of the WTO e-commerce negotiations — Australia, Japan and Singapore.
At the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), 66 WTO members, including China, confirmed that the interim arrangements would create a pathway for the agreement to enter into force while members continue efforts to integrate it into the WTO’s formal legal framework.
The E-Commerce Agreement is widely seen as one of the WTO’s most significant achievements in recent years. According to the joint statement, it will take effect for participating members once 45 members deposit their instruments of acceptance.
The development signals renewed momentum in multilateral digital trade rule-making at a time when global e-commerce and cross-border data flows are expanding rapidly.
