President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that Taiwan has proposed joining the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) based on the APEC model and would not join the bank if its participation is not treated with dignity and equality.
According to the model, Taiwan should join the AIIB using the title “Chinese Taipei,” the name under which Taiwan acceded to APEC in 1991.
However, how Taiwan joins the AIIB, the title it uses and whether China makes appropriate arrangements for Taiwan’s participation will not be clear until the bank unveils its rules in June, Ma said in response to questions at a Mainland Affairs Council meeting.
Ma cited three goals he hopes to achieve before his term ends in May next year — joining the AIIB, concluding a merchandise trade agreement with China, and Taipei and Beijing establishing permanent liaison offices in each other’s territory.
Taiwan and China have been negotiating a trade in goods pact, but the talks have hit bottlenecks, the president said.
He warned that if the talks failed to deliver results, it would be unfavorable to Taiwan’s participation in regional economic integration, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade initiative.
Given that China is Taiwan’s largest trade partner, if the two sides fail to reach an agreement, it would be hard for other countries to expect fruitful trade talks with Taiwan, Ma said.
The pact’s symbolic meaning is something that Taiwan cannot afford to overlook, he added.
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