Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) says he hopes that New Zealand will consider Taiwan’s application for joining the CPTPP trade bloc on its own merits, without considering reactions from China. Wu made the comments during an interview with the New Zealand news outlet The Post published Tuesday.
The comments were in reference to the trade deal known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. The deal, formerly known as TPP, was originally promoted by Pacific trading countries like the United States and Japan. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2017. China applied to join the deal in September 2021, while Taiwan applied just one week later. China regularly attempts to block Taiwan from joining international agreements, claiming that Taiwan is a part of China. CPTPP requires unanimous approval from all member countries to let in new members.
Wu says there is no telling when China will be able to meet the strict standards required to join the deal, but that Taiwan has already met those requirements. He says it would not be fair if Taiwan’s application was put to the side because of considerations about China.
New Zealand does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the two sides do have a bilateral free trade agreement. New Zealand has recently formed a new coalition government, which includes some members that have historically been friendly to Taiwan. Winston Peters, who is now serving as both deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, traveled to Taiwan to speak at the Yushan Forum last year while he was out of office.