The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pledged to continue to lobby for support regarding Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which came into effect yesterday.
The ministry congratulated CPTPP members in a statement, calling it an “important achievement” that was especially significant to the economic development of Asia-Pacific and the world.
The ministry also urged CPTPP nations to accept new members, including Taiwan, soon.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Taiwan’s participation would enhance the partnership and the economic development of the Asia-Pacific region, the ministry said.
“The ministry will continue to show CPTPP members the nation’s determination ... and promote its participation when the timing is appropriate,” it said.
Separately yesterday, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) said that the government would apply to join the partnership near the end of next month, once the application procedures for new members become clearer.
Application procedures would likely be made apparent after the CPTPP nations hold a minister-level meeting in late January, said Deng, who doubles as head of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations.
Joining the partnership is an important goal for Taiwan’s foreign policy, he added.
Following the passage of a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-initiated referendum on Nov. 24 to ban food imports from five prefectures following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono last month said that Tokyo did not rule out taking the issue to the WTO.
He also suggested that it would make Taiwan’s chances of joining the CPTPP — which is led by Japan — unlikely.
In response, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said he hoped that Taiwan’s participation would not be affected by a single issue.
The CPTPP, which replaced the Trans-Pacific Partnership after the US withdrew from the deal, was signed in March, and the agreement yesterday came into force for the initial six ratifying countries — Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore.
The free-trade agreement represents a market of about 500 million people and accounts for 13.5 percent of global trade.
The CPTPP’s 11 members account for 25 percent of Taiwan’s total foreign trade, with Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam among the nation’s top 10 trading partners, while the 11 nations receive 30.42 percent of Taiwan’s outbound investment.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu and CNA
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS