The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would continue working through multiple channels to solicit support from member countries this year to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a ministry official said yesterday.
Taiwan applied to join the trade bloc on Sept. 22, 2021, shortly after China’s application on Sept. 16. Both applications have been stalled.
Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs Director-General Vivian Lien (連玉蘋) said that joining the CPTPP remains a key policy objective of the government.
Photo: CNA
CPTPP ministers in Peru in May last year established an informal standing forum to facilitate information sharing to foster a fair and efficient process — in line with the “Auckland Principles” — for accessions to the group, Lien said.
The principles are a set of criteria to evaluate potential new members, which include readiness to meet the agreement’s high standards, a good track record of upholding trade obligations and consensus among existing members, she said.
A joint statement issued after a CPTPP Commission meeting in November last year reaffirmed the importance of the principles, while announcing the establishment of an Accession Working Group for Costa Rica, she said.
Lien said that the announcement was a positive sign, as Costa Rica applied for membership in 2022, indicating that the CPTPP was reviewing applicants based on the principles, rather than the order in which their applications were filed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs this year would continue its efforts to win support from CPTPP members, mainly through arranging face-to-face meetings between Taiwan and member countries’ officials, and bolstering industrial cooperation with member countries, such as in the fields of semiconductors, supply chains and hydrogen energy, she said.
It would also initiate a media campaign under the theme “Growth and Prosperity over Geopolitics: The CPTPP is Stronger with Taiwan,” to highlight that Taiwan’s ascension to the group is not a political issue and that Taiwan can have industrial, economic and trade cooperation with member countries, she said.
MOFA also aims to develop more local support through the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce and by enhancing connections with local business associations in member countries, she added.
In addition, Taiwan’s representative office in Australia has also commissioned the Australian series The Airport Economist to make a special episode about Taiwan, in which the show would speak with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and Taiwan’s industrial leaders about the nation’s economic and trade advantages, Lien said.
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has also led Taiwanese solar energy and energy storage industry representatives to attend a Solar & Storage Live exhibition in Australia last month, she said.
The ministry also commissioned TAITRA to lead industrial cooperation teams to like-minded member countries, including Australia, Japan and the UK, in June, she said.
Regarding a comment by a US academic that China is showing renewed interest in joining the CPTPP amid a trade dispute with the US, Lien said that China must still meet the Auckland Principles, but its massive use of government subsidies and lack of transparency in state-owned enterprises’ operation shows it does not meet the CPTPP’s high standards.
Many academics have said that one of the reasons that China wants to join the CPTPP is to block Taiwan’s participation, she said.
However, the member countries would strictly review whether China meets the criteria of the Auckland Principles, she added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS