The two authorities across the Taiwan Straits applied to join a trans-Pacific trade agreement. The Beijing side tried to obstruct Taiwan’s application, while Taipei defended its right to be included in the regional pact.
On Sept. 22, the Chinese regime sent 24 warplanes to Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which was understood as a threat to apply pressure against Taiwan’s inclusion. The Taiwan government reiterated its willingness to join despite Bejing’s threats and said it wouldn’t give in.
Can China and Taiwan finally join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)?
The decision will be made by the 11 CPTPP member states, which include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Each of them will have informal engagements with the applicants before making their decisions. Only after receiving the approval of all member states can the applicants join the trade partnership.
“This is a complicated fight. … In general, Taiwan meets the high CPTPP requirements and is qualified, but it’s a de facto independent country. … China can’t meet the requests and isn’t qualified at all,” Feng Chongyi, a professor on China studies at the University of Technology Sydney, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 23.
However, as the world’s second largest economy, China has exerted influence in some developing countries. “It’s possible that some CPTPP member states might be afraid of the Chinese regime and reject Taiwan,” Feng said.
The Chinese regime claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.
The fight to join the CPTPP started with the Chinese regime submitting its application to join on Sept. 16. Six days later, the Taiwan government announced its application, which sparked resistance from Beijing.
By Nicole Hao
