Sharjah24 - Reuters: A Taiwan official has asked Australia to support its bid to join the CPTPP pan-Pacific trade pact, which China opposes, saying Taiwan can boost high technology trade flows and demand for Australian minerals.
Support for Taiwan's bid would also "send a strong message" to Australian businesses impacted by China's recent boycotts of Australian products, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office representative, Elliott Charng, told a parliament committee in Canberra on Tuesday.
"Economic sanctions imposed on Australia by China reinforce the argument of engaging with Taiwan more closely and more deeply," he told the committee. Each member of the 11-nation CPTPP, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, has to approve new members and the committee will recommend Australia's response.
The regional trade group, formed in 2018, currently includes Canada, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. It has received applications from Britain, China and Taiwan to join.
The bids by China and Taiwan in the past month have sparked tension, with Beijing opposing Taiwan's application, and Taiwan accusing Beijing of bullying.
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