Taiwan is stepping up its efforts to gain the support of countries negotiating the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as it prepares to make a bid to join the trade bloc, officials said yesterday.
The nation is seeking the support of the US and the 11 other countries involved in the TPP negotiations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Shih (石定) told lawmakers at a hearing of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
He said Taiwan has been trying to improve trade links with those countries and has made them aware of its interest in the TPP.
The ministry has also been closely following the development of the TPP negotiations and is working on possible titles the nation could use to join the trade bloc, Shih said.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Cho Shih-chao (卓士昭) told the committee that Taiwan has been communicating with the countries working on the proposed grouping and will first have to deal with several trade issues raised by various states.
For example, Malaysia is concerned about tariffs, while Chile, Peru and Australia are concerned about agriculture-related issues, Cho said, in response to lawmakers’ questions.
On the question of whether the nation would try to gain Washington’s support by allowing imports of US pork containing the feed additive ractopamine, he said Taiwan has informed the US of its stance on the issue and will maintain separate regulations for beef and pork imports.
The nation lifted its ban on imports of US beef containing traces of ractopamine in July 2012, paving the way for the resumption of talks under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in March last year. Until then, the talks had been suspended for more than five years.
The TPP is being negotiated by the US, Japan, Australia, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and Brunei, which are aiming to finish the first round of negotiations later this year.
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