The US could invoke a clause in its trade agreement with Canada and Mexico to block China’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a government official said yesterday.
Under Article 32.10 of the Exceptions and General Provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), if either Canada or Mexico enter a free-trade agreement with a nonmarket economy — such as China — the US could withdraw from the agreement.
“If that clause applies to multilateral free-trade agreements such as the CPTPP — which Mexico and Canada are members of — that might be cause for the two countries to oppose China’s membership,” a senior Executive Yuan official said on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Reuters
Echoing an assertion made in an analysis by The Diplomat editor-in-chief Shannon Tiezzi on Friday, the source said that China might see CPTPP membership as a means of circumventing trade restrictions imposed by the US in an ongoing US-China trade dispute.
“However, China is an authoritarian regime that lacks transparency, and its laws and market systems are far removed from those of existing CPTPP members,” the source said. “We will have to wait to see exactly what its intentions are.”
The USMCA was introduced in January last year to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had been in place since 1994.
Although the USMCA was signed by former US president Donald Trump, who took a tough stance on China-related issues, US President Joe Biden has not deviated from that position, the source said, adding that the world was waiting to see how the Biden administration would react to China’s CPTPP application.
“China engages in market interference through its state-owned enterprises — that is contrary to how a free-market economy should work,” the source said. “Many CPTPP members have expressed reservations about whether China can meet the agreement’s standards.”
Separately yesterday, National Medical University liberal arts professor Chang Kuo-cheng (張國城) said that concerns that China’s CPTPP bid would affect Taiwan’s own aspirations for membership were unfounded.
Joining the agreement would not be easy for China, and would require approval from all members, he said.
Nevertheless, China’s large economy and political resources would work in its favor in attempting to join, he added.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
First-time politician Mai Yamada’s (山田摩衣) Japanese name has attracted attention in Chinese-language media after her win in the New Taipei City Council election on Saturday. Born to a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father, the 32-year-old Taiwanese-Japanese stood out after becoming one of nine elected city councilors in Banciao District (板橋) in the nation’s local government elections on Saturday. Although she has a Japanese name, she grew up and was educated in Taiwan, Yamada said, adding that “Taiwan is my home.” Before running for local government, Yamada, who speaks fluent Japanese and English, was Legislative Speaker You Si-kun’s (游錫堃) secretary. She has been involved in
Mask easing: Teachers are allowed to take their masks off while lecturing indoors, but students should keep theirs on, as COVID-19 measures ease this week The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday released new on-campus COVID-19 prevention guidelines, stating that masks can be taken off while exercising, singing, dancing, performing, taking photographs, dining, drinking, video and voice recording, hosting events, presenting speeches and lecturing outdoors. Large outdoor events organized by schools should comply with the mask regulations issued by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), it added. The new guidelines came into effect yesterday, and people in Taiwan are no longer required to wear masks outdoors for the first time since May 19 last year. The CECC announced the easing of the mask mandate on Monday, adding that it
CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT: For the amendment to pass, 50% of all eligible voters would have had to support the initiative, with about 9.62 million ‘yes’ votes cast Non-governmental organizations and student groups expressed disappointment on Saturday evening at the failure of a referendum that would have lowered the voting age in Taiwan from 20 to 18, and they hinted at other steps to address the issue. The referendum, which asked voters to approve a proposed constitutional amendment granting voting rights to citizens aged 18 and over along with the right to run for office, was held in conjunction with local government elections on Saturday. The referendum fell short of the threshold — nearly 9.62 million “yes” votes — needed to pass, as only 5.65 million voters backed the proposed
‘SEXUAL ASSAULT’: Taipei prosecutors said that cooperation agreements between Taiwan and the Czech Republic grant Czech officials protection against prosecution The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday reaffirmed that it would not charge a Czech official with sexual assault because he is protected by diplomatic immunity. The office released a statement saying it has verified that the man works for the Czech Economic and Cultural Office Taipei’s foreign affairs corps and is thereby protected from criminal prosecution. A foreign graduate student in Taiwan had filed a complaint alleging that the section head of the Czech Economic and Trade Section had sexually assaulted her on April 21 last year. The woman said the Czech official had invited her to his home and then forced her
RSS