The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday opened an office as a platform to strengthen communications as part of Taiwan’s efforts to participate in the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade bloc.
The newly inaugurated office is to be responsible for collecting information about the responses from local governments, academics, lawmakers, industrial associations, consumers and the younger generation, to the central government’s measures for the nation’s bid to join the TPP, the ministry said, adding that the communications platform would also target foreign commerce groups, in particular the representative offices and trade associations of the 12 prospective members of the TPP in Taiwan, to boost the nation’s chances of being admitted to the trade bloc.
Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) said the office would integrate the resources of the central government in communicating with other agencies, business groups, academics and related entities.
The first round of negotiations on the TPP agreement among the 12 Pacific Rim nations concerning a variety of issues of economic policy was completed in October last year.
The 12 prospective members — the US, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan — are scheduled to sign the agreement on Thursday next week.
The 12 members of the TPP account for almost 40 percent of global GDP. Taiwan has expressed its strong willingness to join the second round of TPP negotiations in an attempt to enter the trade bloc as soon as possible.
Representatives from the 12 potential TPP nations attended the office’s inauguration ceremony, while the ministry also invited representatives from local industries and academia to witness the office’s launch.
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