President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) envoy to the APEC forum, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀), is seeking support from other member countries for Taiwan’s bid to join the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
On Friday, during the online APEC economic leaders’ summit hosted by New Zealand, Chang said that economic integration has helped the region forge closer economic and trade ties.
He said in a speech that he has faith in supporting initiatives that deepen economic integration, promote high standards on trade-related rules and help improve the livelihoods of people across the Asia-Pacific region.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“Because of these beliefs, we have applied to join the CPTPP, a comprehensive agreement that could generate momentum for the development of the region — liberalizing trade and investment, while promoting sustainable growth,” he said.
“Chinese Taipei plays an irreplaceable role in the global high-tech supply chain. We also have a highly transparent market economy, and are able and willing to respect the CPTPP’s high standards,” he added.
Taiwan applied to join the CPTPP in September, just days after China filed its application. It applied under the name “the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.”
Chang spoke about Taiwan’s willingness to join the CPTPP after Tsai told him to use the occasion to seek support from APEC members.
In a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Chang said the Chinese representatives to the summit did not offer an olive branch to Taiwan.
Taiwan is well-positioned to join the CPTPP, but it could face some hurdles, Chang said, adding that he had faith that Taiwan still has a good chance of securing admission to the trade bloc.
US President Joe Biden did not comment on Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP, he said.
In his speech to the APEC summit, Chang touted free trade as being crucial to meeting national security needs.
“While shortage of any critical component is a serious problem, free market, which includes free trade and free competition, is still the best solution,” Chang said.
However, free trade seems to carry more conditions and qualifications than it used to, Chang said.
“We believe most of those conditions and qualifications are counter-productive,” he said.
He described the current semiconductor shortage as “a culmination of original underestimate of demand, natural disaster, logistic jam and digital demand spike.”
Chang added that Taiwan has been willing to share its experience in containing COVID-19 with other APEC members.
Taiwan joined APEC as a full member under the name Chinese Taipei in 1991. It is the fifth time that Chang has attended an APEC forum as Tsai’s envoy.
Although Taiwan is an APEC member, its presidents are prohibited from attending the summit due to China’s opposition, so an envoy is sent in their place.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS