President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said she hopes Canada will support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Tsai was addressing members of the Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
“Last year, Taiwan formally submitted its application to join the CPTPP. Our economies are matched. We hope Canada will support Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP,” Tsai said.
“Together we can promote more economic and trade cooperation, and generate even more prosperity,” Tsai told the Canadian delegation.
Photo: CNA
Canada’s bilateral trade with Taiwan is growing faster than its trade with any other Asian nation, Tsai said, adding that two-way trade last year increased more than at any time since 1995.
Early this year, Taiwan and Canada jointly announced the launch of exploratory talks on a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA) between the two countries, Tsai said.
Signing such an agreement would create a more open, transparent and friendly environment, and bolster bilateral economic and trade links, she said.
Tsai thanked Canada for its support of Taiwan, particularly after China in early August stepped up military exercises around Taiwan following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the nation.
Last month, a Canadian naval vessel conducted freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait to help uphold regional peace and stability, she said.
The delegation, led by Canadian lawmaker Judy Sgro, attended the Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei on Monday.
In addition to chairing the parliamentary group, Sgro also chairs the Standing Committee on International Trade in the Canadian House of Commons.
The delegation arrived before Taiwan is due to relax COVID-19 border controls tomorrow.
Sgro told Tsai that her National Day address laid out her priorities for Taiwan, in which the two countries have shared interests.
“I believe that Taiwan’s response to [the] COVID-19 pandemic really accelerated the knowledge and the understanding of what Taiwan has accomplished: Not only what it has already accomplished, but its potential for tomorrow,” she said.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan donated millions of dollars and sent more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees, Sgro said.
“Taiwan in my opinion has demonstrated a very solid record on complying with the CPTPP... I believe most of the parliamentary members in Canada hope that [Taiwan’s] accession to the CPTPP will happen sooner than later,” she said.
Sgro also said she is pleased that officials from both countries are engaging in exploratory talks regarding a FIPA.
“My understanding is that things have continued to progress very well. It would be a wonderful opportunity for businesses in Canada and Taiwan to have that kind of investment opportunity,” she said.
Sgro said she is confident there would be more partnership opportunities as the two countries work on their Indo-Pacific strategies.
“If we look at the amount of unrest in the world, whether it was in Ukraine or in Iran, we look at the people demanding access to human rights. All they have to do is to look at Taiwan: what you have created and what you have done,” she said.
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