Taiwan has been clearing trade barriers with Japan and the United States in an effort to join the regional trade pact, the CPTPP. That was the word from Taiwan’s Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim at an online event hosted by the Washington think tank, the Project 2049 Institute on Monday.
This month, Taiwan lifted the 11-year ban on imports on food from Fukushima, Japan and neighboring areas. In January, President Tsai Ing-wen also lifted a ban on imports of US pork containing ractopamine. Hsiao said that Taiwan hopes to have a Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US and to enter into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Hsiao also described the unprecedented challenges from China that Taiwan faces. Last year, China sent military planes into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) nearly 1,000 times while there have been over 160 Chinese military incursions this year already as well. China is using its military to harass Taiwan and is suppressing Taiwan in the international arena. She said that Taiwan will not make provocative moves, but it would also not yield to this pressure from China.
She said China is also using coercive efforts throughout the world and against other nations such as Australia and Lithuania. Hsiao called on like-minded countries to work together against Chinese coercion towards Taiwan and other nations.