China shows renewed interest in joining trade pact Trump left in 2017

Commerce ministry publishes Chinese translation of Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

‘It is now very clear that Beijing is seriously considering joining,’ academic says

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Chinese President Xi Jinping says China is considering joining the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:00pm, 15 Jan 2021Updated: 11:44pm, 15 Jan 2021

Beijing has provided another indication of its interest in joining the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) by releasing a Chinese translation of its principal documents.

Since President Xi Jinping said last year that China was considering joining the pact, formerly backed by the United States, there have been questions whether it would be able to meet its terms of entry regarding state-owned enterprises, labour rights and e-commerce. But Beijing appears to be preparing nonetheless.

On Monday, the commerce ministry published a translation of the 30-chapter CPTPP document, which was signed by 11 countries in March 2018, along with the terms and conditions of becoming a member on its website. The pact’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

Donald Trump pulled the US out of the pact but it remains to be seen if president-elect Joe Biden will reverse that course.

Yu Miaojie, deputy dean of the National School of Development at Peking University, said having the text translated was the first of many steps in becoming a member of the CPTPP.