This year, Canada is the rotating chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Taiwan should not only take this as a chance to break free from its international limitations, but also see it as an opportunity to deepen ties with Canada before the North American nation renews its China policy.
Canada is an important member of the G7, and with it being the rotating chair of the CPTPP, Taiwan should strive to make headway toward its application to join the partnership.
At the very least, Taiwan should work toward negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with Canada, similar to what it has with the US.
The Canada-China relationship has been antagonistic for several years. This can be traced back to 2018, when Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟) at the request of the US. Soon afterward, Beijing retaliated and imposed economic countermeasures and even detained two Canadian citizens on accusations of espionage.
In 2020, due to the changes in their relationship, Canada shelved the idea of a free-trade agreement with China.
Last year, Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat from his post in Canada for targeting Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong’s (莊文浩) family in Hong Kong in 2021 following Chong’s condemnation of China’s conduct in Xinjiang.
In September of that year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) unyielding foreign policy made it extremely difficult for the two countries to maintain a normal relationship. He said there was no longer any space for reconciliation.
Recently, Canada announced that it would levy a 100 pecent tariff on imports of China-made electric vehicles and a 25 pecent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum imports starting next month.
Meanwhile, Canada’s relationship with Taiwan has taken a positive turn.
In September 2021, when Taiwan applied to join the CPTPP just six days after China submitted its application, Canada did not support Taiwan’s bid.
However, this attitude changed in 2022.
In 2022 Trudeau said that the threshold for CPTPP was so high that it would be difficult for China to join.
In March last year, the Canadian parliament published a report titled “Canada and Taiwan: A Strong Relationship in Turbulent Times.”
In May this year, US and Canadian warships passed through the Taiwan Strait, with officials saying they would continue to do so in the future.
Also this year, the Canadian government said it suspects China interfered in the past two Canadian elections.
Canada’s relationship with Taiwan and China is like a seesaw. When Canada drifts away from one country, it becomes closer to the other.
Taiwan is eligible to join the CPTPP as according to Article 5 of the CPTPP, any state or separate customs territory may accede to the agreement.
If the main factor influencing Taiwan’s ability to join the CPTPP is China, then deepening associations, holding friendly exchanges and sharing a common goal with other countries are the nation’s best opportunity to break free from these limitations.
As the CPTPP’s rotating chair, Canada can be the guide and leader. In the meantime, Taiwan should work to break through the initial phase of informal consultation while lobbying for Canada and Taiwan to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement.
Chang Meng-jen is chair of Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Italian Language and Culture and coordinator of the university’s diplomacy and international affairs program.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump is systematically dismantling the network of multilateral institutions, organizations and agreements that have helped prevent a third world war for more than 70 years. Yet many governments are twisting themselves into knots trying to downplay his actions, insisting that things are not as they seem and that even if they are, confronting the menace in the White House simply is not an option. Disagreement must be carefully disguised to avoid provoking his wrath. For the British political establishment, the convenient excuse is the need to preserve the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. Following their White House
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means
RSS