On Wednesday, Taiwan announced its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) just days after China applied.
Deputy Economic Minister Chen Chern-chyi said that Beijing’s sudden decision did not affect Taiwan’s plan to join the trade pact as it had been quietly pursuing backchannel negotiations with friendly countries to lobby for its inclusion in the CPTPP and other bodies.
According to a source, Taipei had sent the application to New Zealand, the depositary country for the agreement, which would forward it to other member countries for review. New Zealand has a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and Singapore which is estimated to make Taiwan’s proceeding smoother.
More details regarding the application will be announced on Thursday morning.
Other than that, Taipei has formed closer ties with other CPTPP members such as Australia, which is in the midst of a trade dispute with China, and Japan, whose lawmakers from the ruling party last month backed Taiwan’s entry into the deal.
Meanwhile, China’s membership proposal is facing a challenge as Japan, the CPTPP’s chair this year, is adamant to make sure that China is ready to meet the alliance’s extremely high standards.
Tags: AlwaysFree,Asia Pacific,China,English,NEA,Taiwan
Published on September 23, 2021 1:00 PM (GMT+8)Last Updated on September 23, 2021 1:01 PM (GMT+8)
