Taiwan's path to join CPTPP will be tough: China

BEIJING • China indicated that Taiwan's path to joining a regional trade deal is going to be difficult, with a government spokesman saying the fact that it could join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) should not be seen as a precedent.

"Taiwan joining any regional economic cooperation must be based on the 'one China' principle. It is under such a principle that China's Taiwan joined the WTO with a proper arrangement," China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhu Fenglian said yesterday when asked about Taiwan's recent application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

"Taiwan's joining the WTO as a Separate Customs Territory doesn't constitute a precedent for Taiwan joining a regional free-trade pact or bilateral free-trade treaty," she said at a regular briefing in Beijing.

Taiwan and China peacefully coexist as members of the same trade body as both are part of the WTO, although Taiwan is a member as "the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu".

China views Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force, if necessary.

Eager to eliminate as many political barriers as possible, Taiwan's government used the same designation in its application to join the CPTPP last week.

In response to questions about Taiwan's application, New Zealand's Foreign Ministry referred to the island as "Chinese Taipei", another moniker used to avoid diplomatic problems.

That application, just days after Beijing submitted its own request, has presented the 11 member nations around the region with a difficult choice - admit one, both or neither?

While some nations such as Japan openly support Taiwan's application, if China does not agree to Taiwan joining using a different name, the countries that support China's application may refuse, likely meaning neither can join.

So far there has been no sign that China is willing to compromise on Taiwan's application. "There is only one China in the world, and the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China's territory," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said last week after Taiwan applied.

BLOOMBERG