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China-Australia relations: Beijing lobbies Canberra for help to join CPTPP regional trade pact despite spat
- The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was formed in 2018 between 11 nations, including Australia
- China has expressed an interest to join the pact and has now submitted submissions to an Australian parliamentary inquiry
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China is lobbying the Australian government for its support to join a multilateral regional trade pact – despite the two nations being in a worsening geopolitical dispute that’s spilled over into economic reprisals.
“China’s accession to the CPTPP would yield large economic benefits,” Beijing’s embassy in Canberra wrote in a submission to an Australian parliamentary inquiry into broadening the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
“China is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind, and stands ready to work together with all the other parties to promote globalisation and regional economic integration.”
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China has this year reached out to Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and possibly other nations for technical talks on details of the CPTPP, which was formed in 2018 despite the withdrawal of the United States under then-president Donald Trump, who described it as a “potential disaster.”
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The pact was originally conceived by his predecessor Barack Obama as an economic bloc to balance Beijing’s growing power.
Since then, Australia has seen its relations with China nosedive in the wake of its call last year to allow independent investigators to be allowed into Wuhan to probe the origins of the coronavirus.
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