Economic minister John Deng said on Tuesday that he has been speaking with Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) members at APEC about Taiwan’s intention to join the regional trade network.
Deng said that at least five TPP members have said they support Taiwan joining the TPP. He also said no one he has spoken to has voiced any opposition to Taiwan’s TPP membership.
"At this diplomatic event, people do speak cautiously, but there is one thing I’m certain of - no one opposes our membership," said Deng.
"No one has said ‘Taiwan should not join’. And they’re not just being nice to us, this is not the situation. So they know why Taiwan is doing this, and our strong desire to participate. People clearly understand Taiwan’s situation.
Deng noted that APEC has 21 members which is less than the over 100 members of the WTO. He said there is much more time to talk with others at the APEC Ministerial Meeting. Deng said he and China’s representative did not talk about the TPP though both hope that Taipei and Beijing will be able to iron out their differences during their upcoming talks about the trade in goods pact.
Minister Deng also said many ASEAN members believe that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership still has a ways to go as the region is now focused on its own regional integration.