Why the e-commerce chapter needs an update

The e-commerce chapter is certainly well overdue for an update. Though cutting-edge for its day, the digital economy has changed materially since the digital provisions were finalized in 2015. At the most recent CPTPP Commission meeting in November 2024, officials recommended concluding exploratory discussions in 2025 on improving the chapter, noting that the goal of work for the preceding two years had been to explore interest in "potentially modernizing the CPTPP Electronic Commerce Chapter to ensure it remains the high watermark for digital trade disciplines".

CPTPP members will need to make considerable advances – in both governance frameworks and in responding to emerging and disruptive technologies – to meet this benchmark. Launching detailed upgrade negotiations this year is particularly important as new members look to join.

Digital governance innovations since 2015

The period since 2015 has seen a raft of innovations in digital trade governance which build upon, but far outpace, the CPTPP’s original approach. Most notable are the new digital economy agreements (DEAs), such as the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement, which aim to facilitate trade in the digital economy through collaborative approaches to the development of digital trade rules.