China jets fly near Taiwan in anger at trade deal bid

TAIPEI • China has sent two air force incursions close to Taiwan, underscoring its displeasure at the government in Taipei's bid to join a regional trade deal.

Twenty-four People's Liberation Army aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defence identification zone on Thursday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in two separate statements. That was the largest number of Chinese planes to enter the zone in a day since June, when China's air force sent 28 aircraft close to Taiwan in the biggest sortie this year.

The flights came a day after Taiwan announced it had requested to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), an 11-nation group that China also applied to join last week.

In the past, Beijing has used large-scale incursions to signal its anger at Taiwan for challenging China's claims to sovereignty over the island. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.

The latest dispute was not limited to military manoeuvres, with Beijing and Taipei exchanging barbs over the latter's attempt to join the CPTPP.

"We firmly oppose any official ties between Taiwan and any countries, and firmly oppose Taiwan's accession into any treaties and organisations that are of official nature," Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing on Thursday.

The Foreign Ministry in Taipei responded by saying China has no right to comment on the Taiwan government's application to join the CPTPP and that the People's Republic of China does not represent the people of Taiwan on the international stage.

Meanwhile, Japan yesterday welcomed Taiwan's application to join the CPTPP, citing shared democratic values with the island.

Japanese officials' appreciation of Taiwan's values with regard to democracy and rule of law contrasted with Japan's cautious reaction to China's bid to join the CPTPP.

"We consider Taiwan a very important partner with which we share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, basic human rights and rule of law," Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference. Japan is chairing the pact this year.

Speaking in the northern Taiwanese port city of Keelung yesterday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the tech-powerhouse island was already well prepared to join the bloc.

"Joining CPTPP will strengthen Taiwan's key global strategic and economic and trade status, and further integrate us with the world," she said.

While Japan said Taiwan's application would need to be scrutinised against the trade pact's strict standards, the positive reaction stood in contrast to a cautious response to China's application last week.

Japan's Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso expressed scepticism about China's chances, citing strict rules related to state-owned enterprises.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato sidestepped a reporter's question yesterday about the different reactions to the applications, declining to go into specifics on Japan's position on China but referring to values shared with Taiwan.

The chief government spokesman added that under the trade pact's rules, membership was open to Taiwan, noting that it was already an independent member of the World Trade Organisation and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

The original 12-member trade agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), was seen as an important economic counterweight to China's growing influence.

But the TPP was thrown into limbo in 2017 when then US president Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the pact.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS