Promoting the Role of RCEP in Boosting the High-Quality Development of China’s Digital Economy

As the largest free trade agreement in the world at present, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has made provisions for cross-border e-commerce, regional trade cooperation, data and intellectual property protection, providing new opportunities for the digital economy development with its functions of optimizing factor resource allocation, accelerating the upgrading of industrial chains and value chains, and pushing close collaboration in international trade. This research consists of mechanism analysis, risk assessment and policy suggestions. First, it analyzes the mechanism of RCEP in promoting the development of the digital industry from three dimensions, namely dual-circulation of digital industry, spatial cooperation of digital economy and digital tariff guarantee, and explores the compatibility between the provisions of the RCEP agreement and the high-quality development of the digital economy. Second, it interprets the digital rules from the intention of digital rules, domestic knowledge legislation background of the parties, the effectiveness of digital regulation and coordination in the agreement, and the external environment; it analyzes the challenges that RCEP brings to China. Finally, this paper puts forward suggestions on how to promote high-quality development of China’s digital economy with RCEP.