Taiwan foreign ministry officials say they are keeping a close eye on the progress of Taiwan’s application to join the CPTPP, a major international free trade pact. That comes after the Liberty Times reported that CPTPP member countries are meeting on Thursday to discuss membership applications.
Taiwan filed its application to join the pact in September 2021, shortly after China did the same.
The CPTPP has eleven signatories, including Japan, Canada and Australia. It is one of the largest free trade agreements in the world by total GDP of its member states.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says Taiwan will keep preparing for membership and working to win the backing of CPTPP members. In order to join the free trade pact, applicants need to have the support of all the CPTPP member states.