Officials decline to comment on reports concerning Taiwan's CPTPP bid

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) Taiwanese officials have declined to comment on a recent report suggesting discussions on Taiwan's membership of a regional trade bloc had been put off.

"At the moment, [we have] no further comment on the matter," Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news briefing in Taipei Thursday.

She was responding to a media question about POLITICO's report that members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) had decided to put off discussions on the ascensions of both Taiwan and China.

"We are awaiting a joint statement by the CPTPP" following the bloc's commission meeting in Vancouver, Canada from Nov. 27-28 (local time), Lee said, adding that she hoped the situation would be "clearer" by then.

The POLITICO report cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that while Taiwan was, along with Costa Rica, one of "the two most prepared applicants" for the trade pact, its ascension "has not garnered consensus among certain members, notably Malaysia and Singapore."

The report also noted that Taiwan's bid had been held up "because of the politics with China," which submitted its own application to the CPTPP in September 2021, less than a week before Taiwan.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, has opposed Taiwan's accession to the CPTPP. This has led Taiwanese officials to worry that a successful bid by China could sink Taiwan's hopes of joining the bloc.

At Thursday's briefing, the Cabinet spokesperson stressed that Taiwan "adheres to the three 'Auckland Principles' to meet the high standards of the CPTPP," referring to the requirements set by the bloc for new memberships.

Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations, likewise, declined to comment on the report.

The office head and the country's top trade negotiator Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) described joining the CPTPP -- a regional bloc of 12 member states that represent around 15 percent of the global economy -- as "essential for Taiwan" during an economic forum in Taipei last month.

"Taiwan's exclusion from the CPTPP would limit our ability to adapt and enhance our competitiveness," Yang said at the time, noting it would also be a "missed opportunity" for the pact's members as they would lose out on "Taiwan's unique strengths" in advanced technologies and other areas.