China will be able to negotiate carve-outs in the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) that allow it to maintain digital sovereignty, analysts say, but it will have to clarify its data security regime to reduce barriers for businesses. DEPA, which currently covers Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, builds upon the digital or e-commerce chapters of existing free-trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, adding commitments to help digital trade and cooperation on advanced technologies. After applying to join last year, it was announced in August that a special task force had been set up to…