Taiwan aims to be eligible to join CPTPP before Beijing, but ‘must revisit Japan food ban’

The self-ruled island’s bid to join trade bloc RCEP was vetoed by Beijing, which is also eyeing the CPTPP and could put pressure on its members

But requirements for CPTPP membership may be easier for Taipei to satisfy – if it can assuage Tokyo over a food ban relating to 2011 nuclear disaster

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Taipei and Beijing have each expressed interest in joining trade pact the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, signed in 2018. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:23pm, 14 Dec 2020Updated: 10:36pm, 14 Dec 2020

Taiwan may have a better chance of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) than mainland China, given the requirements for entering the Pacific Rim deal, according to analysts and Taiwanese officials.

But one major obstacle the self-ruled island must overcome before gaining admission to the Tokyo-led trade agreement is its ban on food imports from areas affected by a 2011 Japanese nuclear power plant disaster, they said.

The Taipei government has been holding informal dialogue with the 11 members of the CPTPP, a revamped version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership formed after the United States’ 2017 withdrawal.

With Japan taking the lead, the 11 countries – also including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam – signed the agreement in 2018.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that it would submit an application to join the deal once it had finished informal consultations with those countries. Would-be members must reach a consensus with existing signatories before applying.

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