China’s surprise application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would not force Taipei’s hand in its own application, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Wang said that Taiwan has been pursuing back-channel negotiations with friendly countries to lobby for its inclusion in the CPTPP and other bodies.
“Our strategy is to line up allies in a low-key manner and work on building consensus before pursuing any official application,” Wang said. “That way, things tend to happen smoothly as a matter of course.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
China, on the other hand, surprised the world when it moved to officially join the trade pact of 11 Pacific Rim countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan and New Zealand, she said.
Beijing’s surprise bid for inclusion does not mean Taipei should feel pressured into making a parallel bid, she added.
“There’s no set timetable for inclusion after an official bid,” Wang said. “There are certain procedures, and there has to be consensus from member countries that inclusion is appropriate.”
Wang said China’s moves to crack down on economic activities and unfriendly trade relations with CPTPP member nations could hurt its chances of inclusion.
“We could question if China meets the CPTPP’s high standards for inclusion right now,” Wang said. “Recently, China has repeatedly interfered with the economy in highly illiberal ways, heightened surveillance, reduced transparency and even banned imports without proper cause.”
Taiwan has been working on market liberalization and legal framework adjustments to be “CPTPP compatible,” Wang said.
The CPTPP is the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from which former US president Donald Trump withdrew during his tenure. The withdrawal of Taiwan’s most powerful supporter from the regional agreement has been seen as detrimental to Taiwan’s chances.
“Of course US support is always welcome in helping Taiwan join international organizations,” Wang said. “However, US President Joe Biden might have a lot to deal with right now with the [COVID-19] pandemic, economic recovery and strengthening bonds between allies.”
The CPTPP might also have to make some changes on issues such as the environment and labor before the US becomes more amenable to inclusion, Wang added.
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
CAUSE AND EFFECT: China’s policies prompted the US to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing should consider if this outcome is in its best interests, Lai said China has been escalating its military and political pressure on Taiwan for many years, but should reflect on this strategy and think about what is really in its best interest, President William Lai (賴清德) said. Lai made the remark in a YouTube interview with Mindi World News that was broadcast on Saturday, ahead of the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration tomorrow. The US has clearly stated that China is its biggest challenge and threat, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly saying that the US should increase its forces in the Indo-Pacific region
ALL TOGETHER: Only by including Taiwan can the WHA fully exemplify its commitment to ‘One World for Health,’ the representative offices of eight nations in Taiwan said The representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and for Taipei’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA). The joint statement came as Taiwan has not received an invitation to this year’s WHA, which started yesterday and runs until Tuesday next week. This year’s meeting of the decisionmaking body of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, would be the ninth consecutive year Taiwan has been excluded. The eight offices, which reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, are the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the
RSS