Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) says Taiwan is conducting unofficial talks with members of the CPTPP trade bloc regarding Taiwan’s application to join. That came during a press conference at the legislature on Wednesday.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement between 11 countries in the Pacific region. Both Taiwan and China applied to join the agreement in mid-2021, but because of China’s claims to Taiwan, the bloc is unlikely to admit both.
During an exclusive interview with Rti on Tuesday, Wu said that Taiwan is engaging in unofficial talks with CPTPP member countries. He said that Taiwan was already able to overcome misunderstandings or hesitation from some of them. Others, however, seem reluctant to reveal their position due to China’s influence.
Wu says that the unofficial talks may speed up the approval process once Taiwan’s application is up for review. CPTPP members are currently evaluating the United Kingdom’s application.