China ‘interested’ in Trans-Pacific trade deal but keen to gauge Japan’s ‘attitude’ ahead of potential talks, ex-minister says

Name: Can globalisation survive coronavirus or will the pandemic kill it?
Uploaded: 2020-06-23T05:04:41.000Z
Duration: 4 min 58 s
Description: Can globalisation survive coronavirus or will the pandemic kill it?

Last month, Premier Li Keqiang expressed Beijing’s interest in joining the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP)

Doubts though remain over China’s ability to meet the requirement of the successor to the defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)

2-MIN READ2-MIN

The Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) was signed between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam in March 2018. Photo: AFP

Orange Wang

Published: 1:04pm, 23 Jun 2020Updated: 10:54pm, 23 Jun 2020

China is keen to first understand Japan's “attitude” before beginning formal negotiations to join the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, according to former commerce minister Chen Deming.

Last month, Premier Li Keqiang became the first member of China’s leadership to express Beijing’s interest in joining the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), which was signed in March 2018 by 11 nations including Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

“We are interested [in joining], but at the same time, we want to know more about the attitude of Japan,” Chen told a forum organised by the Chinese media outlet Caixin on Monday.

“We need to know this before starting formal negotiations. When we are sure about this, we can come up with actual positions.”

04:58

Can globalisation survive coronavirus or will the pandemic kill it?

Chen added that Beijing is also keen to know if the United States will consider to “rejoin” the free trade pact after US President Donald Trump dropped out its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), in early 2017.