INTERVIEW / Taiwan would make great CPTPP member: Australian lawmaker

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Taiwan will be a great member of a regional trade bloc that Australia is part of, given its track record as a "trusted economic partner," a visiting Australian lawmaker said Monday.

In contrast, China, which also seeks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), had quite a "difficult trading relationship" with Australia over the past years, Richard Colbeck, a senator for Tasmania, representing the Liberal Party, said Monday.

"And to be frank, that should be considered as a part of our consideration of their membership [into the CPTPP]," he told CNA during an interview in Taipei.

Colbeck made the remarks when asked to comment on Taiwan's goal of joining the CPTPP, one of the biggest trade blocs in the world, representing around 15 percent of the global economy.

It currently has 12 members -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. Australia chairs the CPTPP in 2025.

China applied to join the CPTPP on Sept. 16, 2021, roughly a week before Taiwan applied to join on Sept. 22 that same year.

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.

Commenting on Taiwan and China's applications to join the CPTPP, Colbeck, who is visiting Taiwan together with three other Australian lawmakers, said he believes Taiwan "would be a great member of that trade partnership."

"It's a country that is a trusted economic partner. It's our seventh largest. And it's a country that doesn't make unilateral decisions impacting trade that we already have, as we've experienced from some other jurisdictions of late," he said, referring to China.

He said that even though China is Australia's largest trading partner, both countries have had quite a "difficult trading relationship" over the past four to five years because China had made some "unilateral decisions with respect to the trade of Australian products."

The difficult trading experience with Beijing, which has "unjustifiably limited trade of some of our products into China," needs to be taken into account with respect to China's application to join the CPTPP, he said.

Such unilateral decisions by Beijing left a "bad taste in the mouth of Australians," Colbeck said.

Another member of the Australian delegation, Steven Georganas, told CNA that the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade has expressed its support toward Taiwan's application to join the CPTPP, while also advocating for a free-trade agreement between Taipei and Canberra as early as 2022.

Georganas said that allowing Taiwan to join the CPTPP does not change the current Taiwan Strait status quo.

"So there's nothing to really fear from having a participant [to the CPTPP]. It only enhances the economy for everyone, not just for Australia and Taiwan, but for everyone," he said.

Colbeck, Georganas are joined by Darren Chester, a member of the Australian House of Representatives, and James McGrath, a senator for Queensland.

The delegation is visiting Taiwan from Saturday through Wednesday.

During their stay, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啓臣), Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), and hold discussions with government agencies with the aim of expanding bilateral exchanges on all fronts, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).