The US government should “take up the cause” of Taiwan’s membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a new study by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation says.
“Taiwan’s continued political relevance and de facto autonomy is [sic] in part contingent upon its economic vitality and broad integration into the regional and global economies,” said Olivia Enos, a researcher at the foundation’s Asia Studies Center.
The study comes as the 18th round of TPP free-trade negotiations opens this week in Malaysia.
If Japan joins the group — as now seems likely — TPP members would account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP and about a third of all world trade.
“Key analysts echo the sentiment that the best way for Taiwan to diversify its markets and improve competitiveness in the region is to join TPP trade negotiations,” Enos said.
She says officials in the US government are in favor of Taiwan’s inclusion in the partnership.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman said recently that the TPP was open to all APEC economies, including Taiwan.
The nation had only to establish its readiness “to meet the high standards of the agreement” Froman said.
Heritage economist Derek Scissors said that if Taiwan decides to join TPP negotiations soon, it could get in on the ground floor of the resulting economic integration and increase its trade.
However, it could get squeezed out of the growing Asian trade market if it forgoes the TPP, Scissors said.
“It is not a question of whether Taiwan is ready — especially since Vietnam and Peru are already a part of negotiations — but whether Taiwan is willing to join,” Scissors said.
Enos noted that Taiwan is a member of APEC and has opened up its market even more to top trade partner China.
“The recent signings of the [South] Korea-US and European-[South] Korea free-trade agreements as well as the negotiation of the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, signals growing competition for Taiwan in the region,” Enos said.
“The TPP would help Taiwan keep pace with its regional competitors by expanding its markets beyond dependence on China,” she said.
“There seems to be agreement all round that it is time for Taiwan to move forward with the TPP,” Enos said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS